From the very beginning of your journey, the road ahead has looked impossible. Many questions probably flowed through your mind: How am I going to support this child? Am I ready to effectively end any selfish behavior I may have? Am I ready to wake up and not be as concerned about my own well-being, but my child’s? In short, am I ready to be a mother?
No matter where you are in this journey, whether you just found out you’re pregnant, slogging through the first few months of motherhood, or finally feeling a sense of relief as you march past your child’s first birthday, there are always times when you will feel overwhelmed. It’s natural and happens to the best of us.
One day you’ll be thanking your lucky stars that you were blessed with these wonderful children. Other days might find you screaming in your head, “I did NOT sign up for this!”
When you have those moments of self-doubt, do two things: One, breathe. Two, remember that children are not children for long. They do, in fact, grow up. They will not always need you in the same way. You might not love being a living, breathing butt-wiper and no amount of time will change that fact. That’s fine. But know that one day, your children will be adults, with children of their own, possibly. All you will have left of them are memories.
You’ll be able to smile at the memory of your son pooping on every single brand-new outfit you put on him. How you now eat every single meal in 5 minutes or less, having gotten used to it during the early stages of motherhood. How you can do more than 4 things at a time and have halfway decent results.
Motherhood is hard, we all know that. Sadly, it will never get easier. Your kids will continue to get sick, they will be extremely picky eaters, they will resist potty training. The trick to it is learning how to deal with the situations that come your way. It will never get easier, but YOU will get better. You will come to know when your child’s fever is worth the trip to the doctor or if some Tylenol will do. You will learn that your child’s screaming fits aren’t because they’re simply being bad, but because they are hungry. You’ll learn that keeping apple juice in the house helps keep the peace.
This WILL get better. This, too, shall pass.
This has totally been me this week! I’m ashamed to admit I even slammed doors with 2am sleep frustrations with my sick child. But you’re right, it will get better and they grow up SO fast. One day, she won’t need me anymore at 2am to wipe her snotty nose and entertain her because she can’t sleep. And one day, that will be a sad thought.
Thanks for the reminder
It’s hard to realize how precious the moments are when you’re up to your neck in it. It takes distance to appreciate how far you’ve come. I think that’s the cruel reality of motherhood – you don’t have the foresight to take in the beautiful moments because you’re basically just trying to survive. But I feel you on the sick child thing. I lost my cool with my daughter last week when she was sick and I felt awful! I think I write these weekly inspirations for myself as much as anybody else.