Let’s Talk About Mom Guilt

I know, I know, just one more post about this thing called mom guilt. It’s almost annoying me just typing the words, but it’s a real thing, babe, and yea, I’m gunna talk about it today.

See here’s the thing… I used to be a bad ass at school.

Overachiever straight A student over here, but ever since becoming a mom, well, let’s just say that even on my best days I still feel like I should be studying a little harder.

As a new mom, I feel guilty about everything.

And that’s just one of those things that I’m working on every single day.

Did I spend enough time with Riley today?

Did I give her two good snacks?

Did I leave her alone in her room a little too long during quiet time?

OMG she got diaper rash – wtf! Did I not put cream on her?

Ahhhh crap, it’s almost dinner time and the chicken’s still frozen.

Why can’t you just get it together?

See, even if it’s just for a moment, I suffer from mom guilt every single day. It’s not just the working moms that deal with it – even though I can only imagine it’s worse for them.

Even as a stay at home mom who’s with my kiddo 24/7, I always feel like I could and should be doing more.

So like I said, I’m working on this whole mom guilt thing.

As soon as I realize it’s hit me, I stop and I think for a second.

I ask myself two questions.

#1 – is your baby happy?

#2 – are you alive?

And as silly as it sounds, that makes me feel a whole lot better.

Because if the answer to both of those is YES, then heck – I’m doing a mother effing great job at this whole parenting thing – and that’s what I’ll keep telling myself.

Because being a mom is hard, but it doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it for ourselves.

Our kids just want us to love them.

So love them, and you’ve done your job well.

Screw the Pinterest crafts if that’s not your thing.

Let your kiddo eat some Goldfish from time to time – God knows we’ve all consumed much worse.

Should we be doing this?

Could we be doing more?

I mean, we could pretty much always do more, but at what cost, really?

At the cost of our sanity?

At the cost of our mental state?

Because if we tax ourselves to the max and exhaust ourselves every day, I promise you that’s not the answer.

The answer is grace.

The answer is knowing that you’re doing enough.

Knowing that you’re enough.

Just as you are.

So the next time you’re experiencing some mom guilt, catch yourself in that moment being a little too hard on yourself and then cast that thought away.

You’re here.

You’re alive.

Your baby is happy and healthy and thriving.

And the fact that your little one is getting a little too much screen time won’t change that.

You’re doing a great job, mama.

Don’t let anyone – even yourself – tell you any differently.

PS – if there’s one book that tackles this whole mom guilt issue better than any I’ve ever read before – it’s Slay Like A Mother. I recently read it myself and it’s changed my life in more ways that I ever thought possible. It’s the number one book I recommend to all new moms, so if it sounds like something you’d be interested in reading, grab a copy for yourself here.

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