Mommin’ Ain’t Easy

Published Aug 02, 2017

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“MOOOOOM, come wipe my butt!” I take a deep breath and chuckle under my breath, “I love that little sweet voice,” I mumble out loud. As I walk to the bathroom, I am secretly wishing and praying that this stage would last forever, she is just so darn cute. That’s when I lift my head and drop my mouth and look around in disbelief. There is literally poop everywhere, and when I say everywhere, that includes between my toes. She not only pooped in the pot, but she thought it would be fun to finger paint the bathroom. Brown must be her favorite color, because she covered literally EVERYTHING! The fun part always comes next….guess who cleans up the mess? ME!

All you momma hero’s out there, has this happened to you? OF COURSE IT HAS…..Things are about to get real….ready? Mommin’ ain’t easy, it is hard, really hard. If you are one of those perfect moms who walk around in your high heels declaring to everyone you meet that being a parent is a piece of cake, you are lying, LYING. There are not enough books, classes or experiences to prepare you for the adventures ahead.

These adventures have turned out to be my favorite though. Of course, there are days of pure exhaustion, and “oh crap, what have I done to my life” moments. But, at the end of the day when I look in those beautiful brown eyes and she wraps her sweet little chunky arms around me and says, “Momma, you a sweet woman,” then it becomes worth it and I would take a poop smeared bathroom everyday of the week.

COMPARISON

Moms have it tough, people are always looking and judging. They judge how you feed your child, how you talk to your child, breastfed or formula, if you spank or don’t spank, and how your child dresses, the list goes on and on. I say to these people, jump in a lake (with a lifejacket of course, I don’t want anyone to get hurt, ha), but seriously though, get a life. I can honestly say, before I was pregnant I was always quick to judge mothers, and I wasn’t even one myself yet….BIG MISTAKE. I had one of those, “I WILL NEVER” mom list. Fun fact, that list was thrown out door within the first year of having Eloise.

“Don’t compare yourself with other moms……We’re all a hot mess, some just hide it better than others.”

Geez Louise, ain’t that just the cold hard truth. Motherhood becomes even harder when you run into Susie Sunshine at the mall and her child walks around with a theme song and a glow that radiates. Of course, on this day my child refuses to let me dress her and is wearing a t-shirt she slept in the night before with McDonald’s ketchup smeared on her face. You break out in a cold sweat and whisper under your breath, “oh crap!”

Situations like these can leave you feeling defeated as a mom, but if you sit down and really reflect and not just think of the “pretty” aspect, it actually will make you feel better. On the day I ran into Susie Sunshine, I allowed my child to make her own choices and be creative. She wanted to wear the ugly t-shirt she slept in, so I allowed her to use her smart brain to make that choice. So guess what, there was no fight, she wore the shirt she thought was special and the world didn’t end. Then we come to the ketchup…yes, I am a very healthy person and cook healthy meals, but on this day my child kicked and screamed for a McDonald’s happy meal, so guess what I did, I bought her a happy meal, and she said it was DELICIOUS! These moments are what she will look back and remember. She will remember that her momma loved her enough to allow her to make her own choices and be her own person. For me, that is more important than impressing Mrs. Sunshine.

No child is comparable, they are all children of God and He made them to be special in their own unique way. I was discussing this with my sister-in-law the other day and she said something that was so powerful. ” I don’t want our girls to ever be compared to one another, one is always going to be better at sports, smarter, skinnier, taller, funnier, the list goes on, but I want them to know that they are special and have things to offer the world.” This brings up a much deeper point, I think when we can FINALLY stop comparing our children, bank accounts, houses, and ourselves, we can start spreading love by lifting each other up and accepting everyone for exactly who they are.

CONSTANT EMBARRASSMENT

Ever been in the Walmart check out line and your daughter asks the girl in front of you, “Hey! Why you got that thang in your nose?” You apologize, but the girl huffs and puffs under her breath and rolls her eyes, so, you walk away as if you were being chased by zombies. Or, how about this one, “Hey MOM! There is Santa Claus.” (Pointing and screaming with excitement at the heavy set, white bearded man in the corner.) Ummm, it absolutely was not Santa Claus walking around Tj Maxx in June. I wave and apologize, but my face shows pure embarrassment. So again, we walk out of the store as if we were being chased by zombies.

“You got 2 seconds to wipe or everyone in Starbucks is going to see, your child holds the door handle and smiles.”

These moments are so darn embarrassing, but special. Anytime this happens I can’t wait to get home to tell my husband. We end up pulling out the notepad and writing it down so we can remember it forever. That’s just it guys, this season of life is so short and of course, the awful moments start adding up, but the embarrassing and sweet ones, you write down so you can keep. They tug at your heart, that’s when you know that all the heartache is worth it. That’s when you know that parenting is the sweetest and most important job you have in this world.

“Just when you think you know love, something little comes along to remind you how big it really is.”

To wrap up all of this mess, I may or may not have gone 7 days without washing my hair, the dishes in my sink may or may not be clean, and I may or may not have gotten sleep in the last 3 years, but I can tell you one thing for certain, it has all been worth it. This darling girl in the picture has me wrapped around her little finger and I would sacrifice anything for her. When I hear that deep belly laugh or hear her sing a song that I used to sing when I rocked her to sleep as a baby, tears fill my eyes and love fills my heart. Time passes too fast y’all, NOW is the only thing that matters. So, momma bears, it’s okay to feel guilty, embarrassed, tired, and unworthy, but remember, at the end of the day you have “little” eyes watching everything you do and they want to be just like you. Worry about impressing them and not the world!

XO, MAC