It's not simply overwhelming that parenting standards have risen dramatically while support systems have vanished, it's an unfair setup that has mothers thinking their personal inadequacies are to blame for what is actually the fault of a broken system and distortions of reality.
From travel points to getting your child ready for college.
She gets it.
I realized that, for better or worse, joking about being a wine mom is a palatable code for saying "this is hard." That feeling is one just about every parent experiences, often on a daily basis—but it can still be hard to admit, lest we be accused of not appreciating motherhood enough.
Parents need help, and we need to take back the definition of what makes a "good" parent.
We get it, Jen. We so get it.
If we do everything for our kids, we rob them of the resiliency that children develop when they overcome obstacles.
3. Because skipping sleep doesn't make more time.
They get it.
Once the carefree days of summer are over—a new chapter begins.
I still can't comprehend our grief. We were told losing our baby to a "cord accident" was rare. It was like a car crash; no one could predict when or why or how or the impact. It just...happened. But it still doesn't make it fair. It doesn't lessen the shock. It doesn't bring our daughter back.
With two, my hands, my heart, my head all are full.
In those early newborn days, my daughter and I spent 20 hours a day in physical contact.
Are you sad that summer is ending, mama?
I still have times when I get caught up in the frenzy of motherhood and put my needs on the back burner for weeks, or even months, at a time. But then I remember my life-changing revelation and I schedule a babysitter and give myself a couple of hours to get back on track.
Giving unsolicited advice is just one parent's attempt to help another parent avoid the challenges they went through.
How do people 'mom' like this? I thought. They just do, I would later realize.
His cereal bowl is on the counter with remnants of oats and milk. My French press is half full, the cream is still out. I have yet to get properly dressed, or attempt to begin the strange battle that is dressing my son.
So let's take a minute to soak it all in.
Before your baby sister comes, and time continues to carry us in its unforgiving pace, I'll soak up every undivided second of attention I can give you.