Have you ever seen those moms? You know the ones I’m talking about! The ones that always look put together and never stressed while they sip their latte on the bench watching their angel play nicely with all the other kids? The ones that have advice for every situation. The ones with professional portraits hanging neatly above the fireplace?
Well, sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not me. I am the mom that struggles to get out the door because I’m trying to get ready the same time the kids’ needs are at their peak. Breakfast, pull-up change, wiping the potty trained one, getting the oldest up and ready for school, the dog out and begging the coffee pot to move just a tad bit faster! Yeah… that one, that’s the mom I am.
But I don’t get jealous of the other moms, I have embraced that I am not perfect and I will not always live the cookie cutter life. Who would want to anyway? It seems uneventful and boring! Instead, my walls are covered with candid and sometimes blurry shots of those angels we call kids as well as their priceless artwork and fingerprints. My house does not stay photo ready, we do live there.
I find myself laughing at the moms that have the perfect advice for how to get my kids to take care of themselves and be seen but not heard, and walk with the perfect posture. Not that I don’t’ appreciate the advice, I have received some good advice in my days. But, without living the day to day with me and my family, you could not possibly fathom the chaos that sometimes dominates. I’m okay with that.
Building memories with my kids are what it’s all about. I don’t want them to look back and say, man, we couldn’t do anything or touch anything because everything had to be just perfect all the time, instead I want them to think about the times that we finger painted or had dance parties at random times. The times that we fell down laughing because I stepped on a toy car just to dance one-footed before stubbing my other toe. I want them to remember the time that momma fell out of the house, missing ever step down before the dog wrapped his lead around her neck, all the while bursting in laughter! (which really did happen to my mother)
So, put your hair up, cut it short, rock pigtails, or twist it in a clip. You’re a mom. Your kids won’t remember how you styled your hair every day, they will remember the moments you shared with them along the way. My favorite phrase now is when my daughter jests with me claiming my “weird” is showing. The no makeup thing, I’ve embraced on the weekends, unless I have errands, but even then, it is minimalistic.
In the end, it doesn’t matter what you look like, it matters what actions you take, what attitude you have and how many times a smile crosses the faces of those around you.