The endless job of being mom – and why that’s so great!
Moms are officially running the whole show. I said it, but you already knew it. They’ve got us eighteen years to life. You signed and dated the contract. The job description is endless as well as the hours. Your work will start and end each day at midnight, and you will work seven days a week. On holidays, you will happily take the double shift, as well as fill the acting roles of Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and the beloved Easter Bunny.
[bctt tweet=”#Moms are officially running the whole show. They’ve got us eighteen years to life. #CEO”]
You will be a taxi service, seamstress, disciplinarian, counselor, and friend. You are playing the leading role in the movie of our children’s lives, and they are watching our every move. It is a tough role to fill, but you have been unanimously chosen for the part. There will be days that you will feel overworked and unappreciated. Many of them actually. But there will be little moments tucked in between the challenging times that will make your heart overflow.
It happened to me at Starbucks when a woman stopped to comment on how sweet Emily was sipping her hot chocolate and wearing her owl-stocking hat. I was having an “I can’t believe she is mine” moment when she said that her children were never that sweet and calm in a restaurant when they were that age. Soak. This. Up! You don’t have to explain to them that she was actually sick (why she was calm) and I had just handed her chocolate in a big kid cup. (Why she was so blissfully happy.) Just smile and pretend like this isn’t a once in a lifetime experience.
You will spend countless hours cooking, cleaning, washing, and rewashing. The days will revolve around naps that never actually happen. And you will be knee-deep in more dirty pants than one could have ever dreamed of. There will be endless days fighting the worry and guilt of “Have they eaten enough? Did I read to them enough? Did I yell when all they truly needed was a hug? Am I leading by example? Am I treating them with kindness and respect?” Just know that simply being their mom is enough. And they love you unconditionally. Even on your worst hair day.
They will go through phases of not eating, not sleeping, hitting, biting, back talking, and fussing. You will want to scream, and at times you will, but tread on, my dear mama. They are learning how to deal with stress and frustration by your example. Try to be patient and kind then fall face first into a bucket of chocolate ice cream when they finally go to sleep.
You are the one solely responsible for molding these beautiful little beings into kind respectable members of society. This is not a light responsibility. It is your name that they will call out in the middle of the night. It is you they will run to with every stumble, skinned knee, and broken heart. You and only you can magically heal their pains with a kiss.
[bctt tweet=”Every day is chaotic, many nights are sleepless; try to enjoy it. #motherhood #mom #CEO”]
Every day is chaotic, and many nights are sleepless but try to enjoy it. And just smile at people when they tell you the same. Even when you are about to completely lose your mind and you want to throw your purse at the next person that tells you to enjoy your kid throwing a tantrum on the floor. You know they are right. Too quickly babies are no longer babies, and toddlers are no longer toddlers. So tell them you love them too often and then tell then one more time. Be the last one to let go of a hug. You never know how much love they need that day. Chase the monsters around the house with them. Roll the windows down in the car and shamelessly blare Taylor Swift songs. Take a boat ride to Africa before you put your sheets in the wash. Dress up at Halloween with them. That is what they will remember. Let them roll in the muddle puddles. Jump in with them. Clothes are just clothes. Teach them to be kind. That is the most important lesson. Say you are sorry when you make a mistake. Say it often. Take the slobbery bite of mashed potatoes they offer you from their plate or the half-eaten Krispy Kreme donut. Praise every triumph and embrace their fears with them. Reassure them that the thunder won’t actually get them, but let them snuggle into your bed anyway. Laugh. Laugh when everything seems to be falling apart. Life is simply too short to be frustrated and angry. Be thankful every day for these little angels on Earth. You have been given the world, even if they aren’t housebroken.
Diana Kane is wife, mom, and frequent companion to coffee and chaos. She is a proud supporter of ice cream cake for breakfast and perpetually struggles with being on time. Diana blogs at Mama Needs a Cupcake, where she writes about the less than perfect version of motherhood and recently published her first book, “Mama Needs A Cupcake.”
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Twitter: @MamacupcakeKane