As another Mother’s Day has come and gone, I have had so many things running through my mind as a mother.
Am I being the best mom I can be?
What will my kids remember about me when they get older?
As mothers, we have a tendency to be very hard on ourselves. We see other women who seem to be the “perfect” mother and think we could be doing so much more for our children.
But in reality, your kids love you unconditionally and if you ask them they are going to tell you how awesome you really are!
Last week, my youngest son who is 10, said something that caught me off guard and reminded me how appreciative children are just from the little things. I had just finished making him a burrito for dinner and he said “Thanks mom! I wouldn’t have made it this far in life without you!”
It was funny to me so I laughed and thought to myself, man he must have really been hungry. But when I really thought about it, it made me think about how much we do for our children on a daily basis that has become second nature to us but they see it in a different way. They recognize how much we love and care for them by our daily actions.
Our children don’t care about what size we are, how much we weigh or what we look like. However, they do care about how we treat them, how we take care of them and how much time we spend with them.
Yes, materials things are nice and kids love them but those aren’t the things they will remember when they grow up. They will remember the quality time and special moments that you shared with them. Just remember, we can always buy more things but once time has passed you can never get it back.
So to all my fellow mothers, it is time to truly accept ourselves the way we are; flaws and all! It’s time to stop comparing ourselves to all of the social media “perfect mom” moments and know that motherhood is not always peaches and cream for anyone! No matter what they may portray.
Our flaws help us to connect with one another. Sharing our flaws with each other lets us all know we are not alone in this thing called motherhood. As mothers, let’s encourage and support each other because we all definitely know first-hand how hard it can be.
We all have different parenting styles but as long as our children are healthy, happy and loved what else really matters???
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed.”
So let us continue to survive motherhood one sip at a time, whether that sip be wine, coffee or whatever your beverage of choice! Mine is wine!!!
It is time to stop judging ourselves and others and start supporting and encouraging each other.
Find Health in Every Day!
Dr. Lindsay