06/09/2019
This post sums up my past couple of weeks and it’s nice to know that I’m not the only mum who can lose patience with her world and be tired just from being tired.
Sleep is such a fundamental pillar of health that is sadly quite often overlooked. How great do you feel after a full night of uninterrupted sleep? How much more of your normal self do you feel after a week of full nights sleep? I’m getting back to basics for myself, early dinner & showers screens down/off, book out and early bedtime! I can’t wait!
We all lose the plot occasionally.
The mental load of motherhood breaks you.
You can feel your nerves fraying at the seams as your child refused to listen to anything you say.
You cry. Lose your patience. Slam cabinets and bang plates, until it gets to you enough that you take away privileges and declare mum law.
Every ounce of you is tired. Tired of fighting. Of the power struggle that is your child’s strong will and your need for them to behave.
This is what no one tells you about. The hard stuff. The moments that break you open, that send you to the brink.
So, I have to ask the question.
Why do we hide it?
Why do we lie through our teeth and utter the words, "I'm fine" to our friends when we are anything but?
We have to stop hiding in the closet with our guilt and frustrations.
If a friend shares her truth and says she's in a funk, don't tell her your life is sunshine and rainbows, tell her you're in the freaking arena with her. Admit that you don't have it altogether either.
Because, let's be honest - we all lose it. Every single one of us.
I know it's hard, isn't it? This motherhood thing. It's OK to say that out loud, that doesn't make you a bad mum - it makes you real.
So, to the mum having a rough week let me tell you what no one else will.
There are going to be days. Days where it's all too much. Days where the fighting and bickering send you over the edge. Days where the baby won't sleep and the toddler just spilled a newly poured bowl of cereal all over the floor or the older child lashes back with attitude & tells you she hates you...again.
You're going to feel your blood pressure rise and your patience dwindle. You're going to lose it. You're going to question yourself - all the time. You're going to wish bedtime would come sooner. You're going to cry a lot. You're going to long for five minutes to yourself. You'll wonder if you are getting any of this right; if you are cut out for this job at all.
But let me tell you ... you ARE. You're getting more right than you think.
Do you know why?
Because you show up. You show up through the hard stuff.
Even on the days, weeks or maybe even months when we're in a rut and we can't quite claw our way out - you don't quit.
Sure, we cry. We have our moments where we feel like we can't go on and then we wipe our tears, throw on a clean pair of pants and we push forward.
Are we tired? Absolutely. We’re tired of the constant correcting, of no one listening. Negotiating. Refereeing. Cleaning. Fighting.
But, we’re more tired of hiding our mess & putting high expectations on ourselves.
So when the tears won't stop, when every ounce of patience is lost and you feel as though you can't do this, know that you are not alone. There are so many other mums in this arena too and they’re giving you a standing ovation.
Through all of it. The tears and the smiles. The failures and the wins.
Some days it will feel all too much and some days it all comes to a head, but don't ever doubt your strength. Don't ever question what you're capable of and how much your children love you.
Go ahead and cry, but then wipe those tears and get back up. Today you may have lost it, but you're not failing - you're so incredibly fierce. ✌🏼💓
