I’ve been thinking. . . someone needs to get honest in this joint. Motherhood is hard. Really hard. It’s so confusing! How can the most fulfilling thing you have ever done also be the thing that frustrates you most and exhausts you past your limits?!? The thing that unravels every part of who you think you are?? Every time I think about it my brain short-circuits haha.
It’s so easy to get wrapped up in all you have to do every day no matter who you are, but especially if you are a mother. I know that I find myself waiting to do everything till my daughter takes a nap. I will literally put everything off until she is down because I feel like if I don’t, I will be a failure as a mother. Then when the time comes for her to nap I try to cram it all in and it doesn’t fit! She ends up waking up earlier than I thought and I get frustrated because I didn’t get it all done and the cycle repeats the next day. The truth is- this isn’t good for anyone and it’s a good way to get burnt out and leave your little one confused.
I’m obviously in no position to be preaching here, so let this be a reminder to myself, and if it benefits you too, then I am super happy 😂 Oh and that weird screen grab above? It’s a still from a commercial I shot earlier this year for windows- just a portion of the passion that makes me, me. You’ll understand in a second 😉
So I have one question for you:
Remember you?
Do you remember that girl that loved to paint, even though she wasn’t sure she was even good at it? Do you remember that woman who enjoyed reading a good book while eating M&M’S or had a passion and a dream of one day becoming an interior designer? Or do you remember what it was like to go to the bathroom by yourself with the door closed without potty training crap all around you? I know it’s hard to remember, but I do. I remember all of the dreams my amazing female friends had before they became mothers and I remember how excited I was for them. I remember believing how great the world would be one day with all these female artists, journalists, authors, and doctors running the world.
This sounds like I am dissing being a mom- that is definitely not the case. Obviously I love being a mother. I LOOOOVE it. As I said earlier, it is the most rewarding and significant thing I will ever do in my life- to raise strong children who are kind, compassionate, and caring. Even though it is the most important job I will ever do, I can say, that if I don’t feel alive- then I can’t be the best mom I have the potential to be. I can’t raise strong, independent, caring, expressive, bold, loving children if I don’t even show myself that kind of love or attention.
Your children need you to feel alive. They need you, to remember you. They need you to remember that girl who sang show tunes all day. They need you to remember who you were before you became mom- because after all, mom is just a beautiful addition to who you already are! How can your children follow their dreams or take care of themselves one day if all they see is a woman who gives and gives until she has nothing left for herself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to stop being a stay at home mom and work on your career. Although if that is what you want- I am in all support of you mama! I’m simply telling you to remember the love and passions you had before becoming a mother and spend some time on them. Give them to yourself as a gift. If you’re like me- choose to take some time while your little cherub is coloring, to get ready or do the chores you were saving for nap time. That way you can take even just a few relaxing breaths to yourself doing what you love when your little is sound asleep or away at school.
We need mothers like YOU. You- who is passionate about politics and what is happening at the caucuses, or you who loves to do origami, or you who dreams of working full-time in television one day. If you take some time to love and cherish that women, your kids will see that twinkle in your eye and notice a happier, more fulfilled you. They will fall in love with the woman they call mommy all over again and it will teach them to follow their dreams and remember who they are.
You are a mother, but you are so much more. You are talented, you are spunky, you are loving, you are passionate. Let mother be an additional and incredible badge of honor to the woman you already are. We need you for you and so do your children! 💕
Much love, passion, and remembering to you mama!
Love,
The Little Gingers That Could
The Little Gingers That Could 