The Perfect Mom.....?

                                                            

                            I had the amazing privilege of briefly talking with a couple other homeschooling moms the other day. These were moms of many children; quiet, faithful, gentle moms who I greatly look up to and admire. Their children are cute, well behaved and seem very happy and content. The moms themselves are very smart, pretty, calm moms who seem to have it all together. They have been homeschooling for a few years and, in my eyes, know it all. I am sure they bake bread (after grinding their own wheat), take meals to those in need and have all the time in the world to read endless stories after a day of calmly homeschooling their children. Did I mention the perfect dinner they probably have on the clean table when their husband comes home?

Meanwhile, at my house..........
My kids decided to dress themselves (shorts in Feb? A battle for another day....) my house is a disaster zone (mom this is NOT a good week to come by, you will literally never make it through the front door. It is blocked by laundry). I haven't showered since, hmmmm - well when did I last blog? And, we are still on our first lesson of the day - at 2pm, because kids and mom had melt downs and we needed to regroup. Oh my and lets not even talk about dinner.

So, how do these other moms do it????? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE???? How come I just can not get it together yet, these other moms make it look easy?????!!!!

It's because I believe lies. It's all a bunch of lies. I am completely brain washed by the idea that a mom can do it all, and do it all well. Guess what? Some people (not sure who, they may need new glasses!) may look at me and think I know what I am doing and that I have it together. HA! Oh my, if that's the case I put on a good show!

Oh moms, there is no mom out there who believes she is gliding along, getting it all done and doing it well. Its just completely untrue and we have all bought into the idea that she can. We are constantly comparing ourselves to other moms, other families and other kiddos. And, it. is. hurting. us.
Trust me, that mom you think has it together is just as exhausted and overwhelmed as you! She has her doubts, her fears, her house has its dirty secret rooms shut off to the public. Her kids have complete and utter meltdowns that make the Kardashians look like angels. She makes grilled cheese and pancakes for dinner - or orders pizza, again. She doesn't remember the last time she shaved, and, to be honest - she failed epically at her mom job today - multiple times!

The lie that we believe is that there is this "other mom" out there that can do this, and do it without the failures we all struggle through. Moms, the more we believe this lie the more it will break us down and impair our ability to be the kind of mom only we can be. In my previous post I wrote about how we are the exact mom our kids need and guess what? Its true. Our kids are not perfect, and neither are we. We are faaaaar from perfect. We. All of us moms. Every single one. Those moms you see picking up the kids from school? NOT PERFECT! The moms you see at church, or the play date you just had at that gorgeous house (clean!? organized!? Unreal.)? Not perfect. I promise.

So, today mom, remember this. You are not alone! We all struggle with kids who complain, don't want to do school work, laundry that keeps multiplying (for no known reason cuz the kids haven't had clean clothes in their drawers for days!) toddlers that make us want to pull out our unwashed hair, houses that should be boarded up because they are clearly contaminated, and dinners that, lets be honest, don't contain exactly the right amount of fruits and veggies (hey, strawberry jam on pancakes counts?! doesn't it?!)

Take a deep breath mom, you are not alone, you are not loosing it - and no, that "other" mom doesn't have it all together. She feels the exact same way you do.
So, today - reach out to a friend. A friend you can be REAL with. Connect, call her up,  have a cup of coffee, and be real. Don't let her believe you have it all together, because I promise - she doesn't. And, I am willing to bet she could use the support and love just as much as you can.
Enjoy your little ones today - they are different than yesterday, older by one day and continuing to grow. Don't waste time wishing you were better, faster, cleaner, stronger. Be strong in the mom you are today, and remember, we are ALL in the same boat.