Motherhood

I often see other mothers around me and immediately compare myself to them. I wonder why I can't be more like them. Why don't I speak softer like that mom or have a schedule like this mom or make perfect meals like the neighbor mom or keep my house spotless like the lady with 5 kids across the street? I never felt good enough. Never felt like I was doing it right or keeping up. And it was STRESSFUL and DEPRESSING. But after 5 years of trying to keep up and always feeling a step behind, I'm finally realizing something. I'm not those other moms! We are all different, and we are going to raise our children in different ways. And here's the kicker! IT'S OKAY! No really, it's okay! Just because the neighbor doesn't let her child have sugar doesn't mean I'm a bad mom because my children get a treat every afternoon. Nor vise versa! We are both doing the best we can to raise happy and healthy children! 

Unfortunately, I've come to find that there will always be people who think I'm doing things wrong and that I'm a bad mom.  My initial response is, again, feelings of depression and inadequacy as a mother. And then it hits me! IT'S OKAY! NO REALLY! IT'S REALLY OKAY! An unfortunate part of the agency that God has given us is the ability to be mean, cruel and judgmental. Its just going to happen. There will always be someone who thinks they know more than I do and can do it better than I can. Whether its the neighbor who thinks they hear everything but really hear nothing, the lady who gives me dirty looks at the store, or a even friend or family member, it's okay. I know I'm doing the best I can just as any other good mother would do. Am I perfect? No, not by any means. Thank goodness being a good mom doesn't require perfection!

Someone posted this on Facebook the other day. Isn't it so true? What would it be like if we were to withhold judgement and show more compassion and understanding toward one another?

I have successes and failures every day - sometimes EPIC failures. Again I am NOT perfect - I'm a work in progress. And so are my sweet children. Together we make mistakes and learn from them as we go. We scream, we cry, we yell, we throw fits (and yes by 'we' I mean me too! I'm working on it...), but also we laugh, we giggle, we hug, we kiss, we play, we color, we cuddle, we read, we learn, and we grow TOGETHER! 

Playing in the leaves at the park! J found them very fascinating.

I love these kids from the bottom of my heart. Our lives aren't perfect. There is A LOT of crying, whining, complaining, temper tantrums, massive melt downs, and time outs.  Being a mom is HARD.  It's just plain hard! And sometimes I want to cry (or I do cry) and wonder if I can keep going, but look at those faces? Isn't it worth it? Absolutely, indeed. 100% guaranteed! I have never questioned my decision to become a mom or even my decision to become a mom 3 times. Yes, its hard! But people do hard things all the time right? I can do hard things! And I can enjoy the blessings these 3 little souls bring into my life while doing it! Motherhood is the best career choice I could have ever made!