Finding Balance In Motherhood
Finding Balance In Motherhood
As I sit here after a long week, looking at my unfolded clothes, dirty dishes in the sink, unkept yard, and glass full of wine... I realize this week was anything but balanced.I've added a few new things to my plate and while it's not a crazy change, it's been just enough to send my routine into a full tailspin. The routine that once felt like it worked so well simply doesn't anymore.Isn't that just life though? You feel like things start to work well and then life throws you a few more plates to balance.
The more I talk about my lack of balance in life, the more you all start to stand up and say ME TOO! It truly does help to know we're not alone.
I used to look at my mom and think wow she has it all under control. She knows everything. She can handle it all.Now that I'm a mom, I realize that was anything from the truth. She just knew how to take it as it came at her. Then when we went to bed, she called her girlfriends crying that she had no idea what she was doing!Most of the time I have no idea what I'm doing.I call my girlfriends and go on and on about how completely out of control I feel. I know what my life should look like, but it never looks that way. I want things to run smoothly, I want my kids to flush the toilet when they're done, I want mornings to be easy, I want to finally follow my budget, I want to get along with my husband all the time, and I want to look flawless every day.The reality is the only thing on point every single day is the kid's bedtime. Which really just means, I make sure they go to bed at the same time EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. I mean come on. I have three rowdy boys and momma likes her alone time at night. (Can I get an amen!?)
Why do we as moms constantly pressure ourselves to be perfect even though we've seen it never works?
In my mind, if I do things well enough I'll find this perfect balance. I'll look at my life and see that I have set the perfect routine, parented my kids perfectly, and run my house without a hitch.Well, guess what. IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. Listen to me carefully. There's no magic moment where everything comes together perfectly.
The magic comes when we realize perfection is unattainable and loving ourselves and our family needs to be the biggest priority.
If you want your life to be more balanced, you need to start by loving your family more. Your kids won't look back at their childhood and remember the perfect school year they had. Nope. They're going to remember the raw, messy, unplanned moments.Those are the times that will mean the most to them.Those are the moments that will come to your mind when you look back at your kids being little.I promise you if you just let go, life will become much better. If you stop trying to make perfect moments, you will stumble upon life-changing memories with your family.The truth is a balanced life doesn't look like a perfectly run household. It looks like a family that knows where their priorities are and puts the well being of their family above perfection.
Let it go, momma.
Stop trying to be the perfect mom you think your kids need and be the mom truly you are. The mom whos kids see right past her messy top bun and sees the woman who holds everything together in their little lives.