Friday, March 18, 2011

The Other Mothers

Wow, two posts in one day, almost a new record for me!

I came across this on another blog that I read and it struck me as so true, and exactly what I needed right now as I sit here in my yoga pants, dirty hair pulled into a ponytail, and no sign of supper on the go and it it 4:30pm.

This article reminded me that I don't have to try to be supermom, that I can't do everything and that sometimes I need to just throw my hands up in the air and say "you know what? I didn't vacuum today or do the laundry or even make supper." We'll go out for supper and the floors will stay dirty for another day, but I spent the day with my kids. We colored, we sprayed the snow and we pretended to drive a firetruck in our basement. That's what being a mom is all about.

I sometimes let myself forget that and get lost in the idea that I have to have a perfectly clean house, fresh baking cooling on the counter and perfectly behaved children. I'm trying to give myself permission to just play with my boys and not worry about all the other stuff. They are only little for a short time and I don't want to look back and regret not painting with them or playing playdough (even though I can't stand the mess it makes!).

Read the great article The Other Mothers by Allyson Reynolds and come back and tell me this:


What do you find you compare yourself to other mothers about? What do you do to remind yourself that you don't have to be Supermom?

4 comments:

The Tompkins Family said...

I try SO hard not to compare: milestones and sleep. I fully know that in 5, 10, 15 years, it won't matter who rolled over first, who slept through the night first and most of the time I couldn't give 2 craps about it...but sometimes I get wrapped up in it.

Supermom...sigh...I'm so OCD and anal and type A that I almost never let myself think I'm not supermom. So I'm constantly cleaning, working out, dressing the girls night, taking them to every single activity possible. And in the end? It doesn't matter...because some of my most favorite days are the days we don't get dressed and just play all day long. Remind me of that, okay?!

For the Love of Naps - Sarah said...

Love this article...and I think that reading blogs can cause the supermom thing...i love when bloggers write about the not so super days too. It is so easy to write about the great stuff but it is so nice to read about the honest rough times too.

Karyn said...

Although I'm kind of past the 'supermom' stage, I read the article and enjoyed it immensely. I saw myself in the writer as a young mom - and although I've freed myself from most of the 'compare snare', it still crops up from time to time.

Looking back....I`m glad I didnt`t stress over my house but still taught my kids to work with me in order to keep it clean. I`m glad we found ways to just chill with our kids - to go for walks, play games, read stories.....

If I could change anything it would absolutely be to LIGHTEN UP! To not take things so seriously, LAUGH a whole lot more, and yell a whole lot less.

Karyn said...

OH....and BTW, Janice Lynn - You are a GREAT mommy! You're doing a super job with your little ones.

Don't ever forget that they are the most important thing you can accomplish in these years.