A Letter To Myself: You Are a Good Mom

You are a good mom. Say it to yourself.

Now say it again.

If you’re looking for recognition, you’re most likely not going to get it. Not from anyone other than yourself at least. And that’s ok. Because YOU know who you are and what kind of mother you are: a good one.

You watch as other moms post photos of their children at the park and think to yourself: I should have taken my kids to the park today. They would have enjoyed that.

Now you’re feeling guilty. But you don’t have to. Your children had a good day today. They got to spend one-on-one time with their momma. Just like they get to do almost every other day. And that’s important.

(THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS IN WHICH I MAKE A SMALL COMMISSION FROM AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU).

That’s all they need and want. You. Your time.

You yelled at your child and put her in timeout today because she threw another toy at you. That’s ok. Your child is learning discipline and that there are consequences for their actions.

You told your child “no” what felt like one hundred times today. That’s ok. They’re learning that they can’t always get everything they want in life.

Your baby is crying to be fed, but you can’t get to him right away because your helping your toddler get dressed. That’s ok, and it’s going to probably happen a lot. Your baby is just communicating and letting you know he’s ready to eat. No need to rush (ok, maybe rush a little bit).

Your child screamed because they couldn’t run out into traffic like they wanted to. That’s ok. They’re learning that they need to be careful in life because the world is a very dangerous place.

Your have to step away from your children to cook dinner, so you put them in front of their toys with the TV on. That’s ok. Seriously, it’s ok! They need to learn that they’re not always going to have you by their side and they need to build independency skills.

 

Timberland Women’s Courmayeur Valley Chelsea Boot

 

Don’t blame yourself for every bad move they make; DO take credit for every good act that they do.

You’re going to make bad decisions while parenting. Why? Because you’re not perfect; nobody is. But you know what makes that ok? You are perfect for them. And that’s better than being perfect.

So, sure, Betty Sue and Helga might seem like they’re better moms than you because they get their child’s pictures professionally done every season (which reminds me I need to do for my kids) or they took their children to the waterpark this weekend, but they’re not. They’re in the same boat as you.

We’re all in the same boat.

So, before you tell yourself that you’re a failure or your kids deserve better- just stop.

Stop it right now.

It’s one thing to healthily grow from your mistakes, but do not put yourself down over something that’s probably not even that serious.

You forgot to wash your child’s pee-pee sheets and now they have to go to bed without a sheet. So, what? Use a blanket. Or your sheet. It’s not a big deal.

Don’t get inside your head- and DON’T overthink. How many times do we (I) do that? Too many. 

So, I’ll leave you with one request from me:

Every time you feel yourself going to that dark place of feeling like a failure or whatever it might be, tell yourself this:

You are a good mom. You are the best mom for your child. They love you & you love them.