Mom Guilt is Real

Mom guilt! Do you ever feel guilty about something? Better question. Are you constantly fighting off feelings of guilt for one reason or another?

Not a day goes by that I don’t feel guilty about something. It could be something small. I let my kid watch a little too much TV. Or the burden of guilt could be much heavier. I raised my voice more times than I want to admit. Real talk, I yelled! The neighbors may have heard me.

Or it could be one of the other reasons from the endless list of things that make me question every single thing I do.

I didn’t spend enough time playing with my little one. The house was not as clean as it could be. Dinner was boxed macaroni and cheese. Did I say enough encouraging words? Give an adequate amount of hugs?

What about some of the heavy hitters? Do you feel guilty for wanting time for yourself? Self-care is important friends. SO IMPORTANT!

Do you want to take a vacation without any children? Even a mini getaway is all I want sometimes. And then, of course, I feel guilty for wanting to be away from my kid. An inner battle is going on in my brain.

This constant second-guessing can wear any parent down.

Literally, almost every choice we make or don’t make for that matter can be twisted to take the shape of guilt.

Whatever the reason behind the guilt makes little difference in the fact that it is still there. At the end of every day. It has become an unwelcome part of my daily routine.

Even if I have a great parenting day. I am in bed at night and guilt will still find me. Hey. don’t forget about me. Let your good old friend guilt keep you up for a little while and remind you of all the things you did wrong.

Next thing I know, it is one in the morning and I am still playing out every scenario in my head where I could have done better that day.

Trying to do everything “right” is exhausting.

Not to mention impossible. Yep, straight-up impossible. No secret formula is out there. No list of ingredients to come out on top.

This is not to say you should just accept everything as is. Trying to be a better parent is fantastic.

I am always learning something new. Changing up my strategies. Parenting books have been there to help a sister out on many occasions. I welcome tips, tricks, and advice with open arms!

We have to fight the good fight against mom guilt. In all honesty, you will lose this fight. So many dang times. But keep on it, mama.

If you are like me and have not yet mastered the art of avoiding mom guilt then congratulations. You are human.

It seems like you can’t win. But think about it this way. It is not a contest. This isn’t a race. No trophy is handed out.

So ditch the mom guilt. Are you thinking no way? Not gonna happen. Yeah me too. But we are moms. We don’t give up so easily. Just ask our husbands!

You are killing it. Yes, you!

Let me drop some wisdom right here. We are all aboard the hot mess express at some point. The struggle bus welcomes everyone with open doors. You can sit right next to me!

I promise you there is not a parent out there that has it all together. Not one. Not even those seemingly perfect ones on social media.

So, what now?

I’m gonna step in the ring with mom guilt. I may not be throwing knock out punches. But I’m giving it my best shot. My husband is VERY into Rocky so boxing was on the brain. And we just watched Creed for date night!

Talking about mom guilt is a great way to lessen it. Even a tiny bit. We often feel like we are the only ones feeling a certain way. Nope. Deep down we know this is never true. Pesky brains always trying to trick us.

Sometimes just saying something out loud can really put things in perspective.

What would you say to a friend spilling her guts to you? To a mama being extremely hard on herself?

My guess is you would show her empathy. Give her a healthy dose of support. We are quick to be there for others and reassure them that there is nothing wrong with them or anything they are feeling.

Do we give ourselves this same support?

This is why I love to say things out loud. Even if it is just to myself. I’m not the only person talking to themselves on the daily, right?

Putting my words and thoughts out there doesn’t magically make me feel better. But it does allow me to look at a situation from a different angle. Like, hold up a second.

I am going through the same thing as all these other mamas. These moms that I think are amazing.

So, the only logical conclusion is that I am crushing it too! We all are.

There really is no hood like motherhood!

We do our best and take things as they come.

And you know what? Just the fact that we worry and analyze all the choices we make is all the proof we need that we are all mothers of the year.