Motherhood: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good
Mornings with my son are my absolute favorite moments, for the most part. I love the good morning snuggles and smiles, and when it seems as if anything will make him giggle. I enjoy tickling him so he can climb out of bed, and I treasure our random conversations about what went on his dreams. Thanks to my son, I now fully understand the reasoning behind the show “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” Even though I highly anticipate our early morning dances to help get us moving and our morning drives as we sing songs together, there is NOTHING that beats hearing the words “I love you so much Mommy.” When these words are spoken, any kind of day I’m having is turned into a better one. They love us unconditionally- no matter how we look or what we say. As moms, we are almost always the first face our child sees when they wake up, and the last one they see before they go to sleep. We mean the world to our kids even when it feels like we are failing.  

I hope I’m not the only one that goes to the store for something for themselves and walks out with things for their kids. Being a mom means that every outing you make, whether it’s a night out with the girls or a quick trip to the grocery store, is no longer what it used to be. It becomes ‘what do my kids need?’ and then seeing something and thinking ‘Oh, he would love this!’ We become selfless. We become chefs, doctors, scientists, actors, singers, and so much more. Being a mom opens our world.

The Bad
I wish I could say I never yell at my son, but the truth is that some days I find myself yelling way more than I’ve smiled. I find myself having to repeat myself over and over, feeling like my son just doesn’t listen to me. There are those constant questions we ask ourselves, the doubts that keep us up at night- Am I a good mom? What if I make the wrong choice? The weight is heavy knowing that every decision I make can potentially affect his life. I’ve cried several tears because I felt like I just wasn’t good enough or doing enough. Unfortunately, social media and just where our world is now has made it so much easier for us to compare ourselves with every other mom out there. We pin hundreds of ideas on our Pinterest boards and hope one day to have the energy to try some of them. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to balance all the important things in your life without neglecting anything. As nice as it would be, there is no magic recipe for having the perfect balance or being the perfect mom. Being a mom is hard.  

The Ugly
Before someone comes to my house, I almost always feel the need to warn them or use the disclaimer “Don’t judge my house please.” I’m lucky if I had enough time to wash the dishes! Then there are those days when we decide to take advantage of kid-free-time to clean only to find dried up food or candy underneath the couch or in other unknown places. Let’s not forget about the days I decide to clean out my car because it’s smelled a little odd the last few days, and I find an old zip lock bag of something inside that I can no longer identify. Having a boy means you have to clean up pee stains constantly because sometimes they just don’t “hit the target”. Oh! Let’s acknowledge the messy hair, no make-up, and gym-clothes-outfit days! Even though I have no plans of even working out, sometimes gym clothes are the only clean clothes that is quick to grab and put on, so that’s just what the “outfit of the day” (ootd) has to be. Being a mom is messy.

I put so much pressure on myself some days, and then at the end of the day I’m pleading to God, ‘Lord please help me please!’ Some days I wish I could enjoy my son more than I have because it’s just been one of those rough days. And then there are days, where my son comes to me and hugs me and says “You’re the best mom ever, I love you so much!” when all I did was give him a snack right before he said that. That’s when we as moms should take a step back and say “Yes, I am the best mom”, because every single day no matter what is going on, I am trying, I am pushing forward, I am praying, I am hugging, and I am blessed. So let’s all feel free to hashtag our gym clothes OOTD, our messy house, make up free face and smile, because you made it thru another day of being your child’s superstar!

-Marielis, imperfect mom but rocking it the best way I know how