The intention of this series is to showcase a number of individuals with children primarily in elementary school and younger (But I will interview some mamas of older children too!) I will not be sharing names or photos.
Why is this you ask? The purpose of the series is to bond together with our similiarities instead of using our differences to compare each other. Comparison can be the devil when it comes to parenting. I want to try to eliminate factors that would make us doubt ourselves.
Please enjoy reading these interviews every Friday over the next few months!
Interview #2
LET’S FACE IT, THIS MOM GIG IS HARD! WHAT DO YOU FIND TO BE THE HARDEST PART?
First, being a patient mama is hard for me at times. I work full time and when I am home my 3 year old wants my attention every. single. second. And as much as I want to give it to him, I have to make and clean up dinner, take care of his sister, feed the dogs, etc. A lot of times I end up biting his head off or getting annoyed with him for not just entertaining himself but then I feel gulity because I wasn’t home all day and didn’t get to spend a lot of time with him. And then I feel guilty for being a working Mom…it’s really a vicious cycle.
Secondly, I struggle with learning how to handle bad behavior. When my son is misbehaving, I often think to myself “oh no…I’m not sure how to handle this” or even worse “I have no clue what I am doing right now!”…which is a not a good feeling. I am just worried that I am going to raise a little devil! I get so frustrated that I end up yelling at him and then I feel like a complete failure and really wish I could have handled the situation differently.
And finally, having zero time for myself is also difficult. I would love to be able to work out from time to time! Ha,ha…ahhhh well…one day I will have more time and then I will miss when my kids were little!
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MAMA MOMENT YOU CAN LOOK BACK ON AND LAUGH ABOUT NOW?
Oh geez…which one to share? How about the time I was coming out of Target with my new born and my three year old in the cart. There wasn’t any space for my bags so I was holding everything and trying to manuever the cart. It was snowy and icy…and I lost my footing and down I went with all my shopping bags. Meanwhile the cart, with my newborn and my 3 year old, is completely unattended…but thank God not rolling away. So, I pulled myself together…grabbed the cart and started throwing all of my stuff that fell out of my shopping bags back in all the while trying to get myself up off the ground and looking out for cars. It was so embarassing that I couldn’t even look around to see who was watching. Luckily, the three of us and all of our purchases made it to the car relatively unharmed.
WHICH MOMENTS IN PARENTING MAKE YOU FEEL THE MOST VULNERABLE OR UNSURE? WHAT RESOURCES DO YOU TURN TO IN ORDER TO FEEL BETTER?
Since I had kids, I feel very vulernerable in terms of things going on in the world that I have no control over. I can have a panic attack just thinking about the horrible events that have recently taken place from shootings in schools to political unrest. I have to literally avoid these topics because it makes me never want my kids to leave the house. To feel better, I look for the positive side of humanity and try to seek out the good things happening in the world. I also try to cherish every moment I have with my kids, stay present, and have faith that everything will be alright.
WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS, AND SOME ARE WORSE THAN OTHERS. WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO COPING STRATEGY TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE REALLY ROUGH SPOTS?
A break…I have to remove myself from the situation. I go to the bathroom and close the door for a few minutes or I put the kids down for their nap early. And if it’s really bad, I tell my husband I need some “me” time and plan a pedicure or we will plan a date night. Wine also helps 🙂
WE ALL NEED HELP TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN. WHAT TOOLS DO YOU USE TO HELP ORGANIZE YOUR FAMILY? (APP, PRODUCT, ETC.)
I am lost without my calendar and a to do list. If it’s not written down, I will forget it. So, that is how I keep track of everything. I also keep my kids on a consistent schedule…this way there are no surprises for anyone!
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN YOU ON BEING A PARENT?
The best advice I have ever gotten is to not compare myself to other Mom’s…and this one’s tough for me because most of my Mom friends are SAHM’s…I am definitely the minority in the work department. I find myself feeling bad that I don’t get to spend as much time with my kids or do as much fun stuff. And even when it comes to keeping the house clean or staying organized…I just often feel like I fall short. So, I try to take this advice because at the end of the day I know that I am a great Mom that loves her kids more than anything. All the stupid things I worry about like how clean or organized my house is…just don’t matter. What matters is a happy, healthy family that is well loved and that I’ve got covered.
New this week, I want to share blog posts from other bloggers that I read that inspired me as a mother. First is from blogger, Glennon Doyle Melton. I love the voice in her writing. It makes you feel like you are with her in a coffee shop chit chatting about motherhood! Read the post here on working moms vs. stay at home moms.