Mom Fail #372!!

As I've mentioned before, Motherhood is hard.  And I wasn't lying when I said I have no idea what I'm doing.  But I can't help but wonder, who does?

I know there a million books out there you can buy that tell you all the latest and greatest in child rearing and raising.  But seriously, who has time to read these?  I know what you're thinking.....Mom of the Year, right?  I did purchase one of these books and one was given to me.  The one I purchased read like a textbook and quickly went in the recycle bin.  The one given to me was hilarious and made my pregnancy stress actually far less overwhelming, so I passed it on to another Mom.


However, even when all the expert advice is given, read, poured over, and obsessed about, Motherhood doesn't ever go the way we think it will.  Kids are insane.  Awesome, but totally crazy.  And they will, without a doubt, find ways to push our buttons and bring us to the very brink of sanity.  But Moms prevail.....that's what makes us so freaking awesome. 

What every Mom needs, is not a fancy book with advice, but another stellar Mom they can count on.  These Moms are the ones we celebrate our accomplishments with, no matter how small (yes, "I made it out of the house without spit up or soggy graham cracker on my work clothes" counts).  These Moms are the ones we also cry, scream, laugh, and drink with.  These Moms rock.

For me, these Moms are my college roommates, my own Mom, and my sister-in-law.  My college roommates and I, God bless them, have gone from holding each other's hair over the toilet, to contributing society members, wives, and now Mothers.  They've seen me at my lowest and my absolute best and I cherish every second with them.  My Mom is there for me through the hilarious, as well as the terrifying and of course, the embarrassing.  She's never judged me, lied to me, or thought I was crazy for something I'm obsessing over.  My sister-in-law and I share our Mom Fails, as we lovingly refer to them.  There's no judgment, tons of hand-me-downs (both directions!), and she makes a mean Bloody Mary.

We all need these Moms.  We need to laugh at our Mom Fails.  Yes, my daughter ate sand last weekend at the 4th of July festivities in the park. Mom Fail!  I also let her sit in the mud and play in her tutu at the same park a few months back at my niece's birthday party.  Honestly, what kid hasn't eaten sand?  And what fun is life if you can't get mud on your tutu?

At the same 4th of July event, I watched another Mom watch in horror as her child fell off the slide.  He was fine.  "Mom Fail #372!!" is what I wanted to yell at her as I ran up to high five her.....buuuuutt I'm not sure she'd think that was as awesome as I would.  She looked pretty embarrassed.  Why, I ask?  Why?  We all have them.  So why not laugh at them together?!  I don't believe for one second that any Mom has it all together.....some are just better at pretending than others.

I know there are Moms (and Dads) out there, like us, that can see the humor in this thing called Parenthood.  If you can't, may God bless you....cause life is going to be rough for you.

Mom Fails are ok....really.  As long as our kids are safe, happy, and healthy, let the Mom Fails go.  Laugh at them.  Even celebrate them!  They are lessons learned.  Sometimes it's all you can do to maintain some sanity.  Let them eat junk (or dirt), go the bed late, fall (do a burpee!!) and get dirty.

Life is too short to worry about doing it right.  They're going to turn out fine.  Do your best, laugh, cry, scream if you have to, and high five that Mom whose Mom Fail you just witnessed.  We could all use the encouragement and support sometimes. 

You Don't Get Today Back

As parents, we sometimes forget our child is growing.  I realize that sounds idiotic.  Duh, of course they’re growing.  However, I know I’m not the only parent in the world to look at their child (who we see every single day) and suddenly think “holy crap, you are SO big!”, "when the hell did that happen?!". 

They happen all the time, these reality moments.  We then get caught between conflicting emotions of unprecedented pride, fighting with utter denial that our child is not the tiny, innocent, completely-dependent infant we brought home from the hospital.  It happens slowly, yet so fast it feels like whiplash…..it’s a parental phenomenon.

These moments can be brought on by a number of things: they accomplish something new; the first time they fit into an outfit that looked ginormous the day we bought it, or when they outgrow another; a new word; a new laugh; even seeing a picture taken several months ago.  The point is, it happens all the time.  And we are so busy with our day to day activities, duties, and just-get-through-the-day mindset that we forget they are constantly changing. 

We forget that we don’t get today back.  That might not seem that significant….it’s just one day right?  There’s always tomorrow.  What difference does one day make?  ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!   

Admittedly, there are days I’m so tired, I can barely think straight and I just want to shut down for a bit.  Or I have a ridiculous laundry list (including laundry!) of things that need to get done.  But that’s just the point!  There’s always something– it’s called LIFE!  And it never slows down.  There’s always something else that needs doing, cleaning, or fixing.  I will probably be tired for another 18 years, so buck up!

When Baby Girl wants to be held; whether she’s tired, happy, frustrated, overwhelmed, nervous, shy, excited, or sad….hold her.  HOLD HER.  Hold her every single second you can.  Because very soon, much sooner than I want to admit, she won’t want me to hold her.  She doesn’t want me to hold her enough now!  Like many parents, I’m so guilty of getting caught up in a task or in my exhaustion that I miss an opportunity to pick her up when those tiny arms reach up to me.  The moments to hold her are now on her authority, not mine.  I don’t miss one often, but a missed moment is a missed moment and soon they’ll end. 

So enjoy the moment.  The list can wait. Pick her up again, rock her one more minute, play another game, read one more story, kiss her once more, hold her just a bit longer.

Remember, you don’t get today back.