Seriously, being a mother is effing hard. I don’t want you to think I hate being a mom because it’s the best thing that ever happened to me and I count my blessings for my two beautiful children every single day, BUT it’s hard. The hardest part I’m currently facing is lack of sleep. You have these nights where as soon as you get to sleep, one kid is up with a bad dream, and then 2 hours later your 3 month old is up for 3 hours, and then an hour later, your toddler is up for the day! I had one of those last night, and I feel like hell in a hand basket today. And the thing about being a mother is, you kind of just have to ignore it, drink loads of coffee and count down the minutes until bed time. Lucky for me, my kids are still at the ages where we can cozy up and do low-key activities all day, and there is a slight, slight chance that naps will happen at the same time and I can squeeze in some zzz’s. I know that won’t last forever, but I guess the babies being up at night thing passes, too, and then it’s something else.
I’m also lucky that I don’t have to report into a job where my mind needs to be sharp, I seriously don’t know how I could do that after a night like last night. I would like to bow down and give these mothers serious, serious props. Being a stay-at-home mother isn’t always easy, but the whole “not reporting in and holding yourself accountable for anything other than family” is very forgiving. Put me in front of a room to do a presentation after last night, shut your business down.
I don’t know why exactly I’m posting this today, but I think a lot of other moms read this blog and soon-to-be moms as well, so I’d like them to know they are not alone, and warn the soon-to-be moms what they are in for (not to scare you away!). I met with a wedding client while I was in Florida, and she asked me what it’s like with two. I went into everything, the good and the bad, and she was so appreciative that I didn’t sugar coat it, so I guess I’m transferring that here. She also saw me without make-up, hair a mess, holding a crying baby, my bathing suit probably falling down my annoyingly large breasts that were definitely showing nipp, and a great husband playing with our toddler in the water while we chatted (as you can guess, we took the meeting to the beach).
To conclude, I’ll say it again, motherhood is by far the most rewarding and fulfilling thing I have ever done, but hard in that it never lets up. There’s no “break” except when they sleep (and you’re kind of always on the edge to make sure they stay asleep), or if you pay for it with a babysitter (and they are still always on your mind, and in some way, you’re most likely worrying about them).
