I feel that it would be an injustice to my cause if I wasn’t completely transparent about who I am as a parent. Some days I am the fun mom. I play and throw parties and have sleepovers. Some days I’m the nervous wreck mom whose anxiety tells her that everything has to be perfect or she is worthless.
Sometimes I’m the frustrated mom who after army crawling through days or even weeks of mood swings, attitudes, tantrums, and deliberate misbehavior; screams like one of those banshees that you see in horror movies. Sometimes I am the messy mom. I allow slime in the house and don’t do the dishes right away.
Sometimes I am the tired mom who asks for help because she finally just sat down and someone realized they were still hungry. Moms wear a lot of hats and with each hat comes it’s own layer. I am completely imperfect, but if you asked the kids in the house, my house is still home.
I think as mothers we kid ourselves about having to have everything under control all the time. That is impossible. If you lose your temper or if you cry in the grocery store, forgive yourself. If you yell or can’t stop them from falling off their bike, forgive yourself. If you don’t have a perfectly spotless house or your kids are fighting, don’t allow yourself to draw your personal value from that.
Motherhood is messy and annoying and frustrating and beautiful and precious. Not every kid is easy…heck, not every kid is even just kind.
We do our best and some days that is stellar and other days that is a circus. Our families will never truly understand the pressure or the weight we carry every single day.
I call myself a hot mess for a reason. My house isn’t always perfect. My life isn’t always cookie cutter. My family isn’t always tame. But I show up and try again. I show up when it is hard. I show up when it is inconvenient. I show up when it is painful. I show up when it is amazing.
And so do you, Mama and if I asked any kid in your house to tell me where home was, they would point to you. Hot mess and all.
About the Author:
Stephanie Trembley is a wife, mom, and step-mom. She enjoys up-cycling furniture, fishing, and laughing until she snorts. She is a firm believer in Christ, southern hospitality, and that you can never have enough hot sauce. She has lived ‘two lives’ and this one is obviously my favorite. To read more of her musings about life and motherhood, visit her website HERE.