It’s almost Mother’s Day and I was wracking my brain over what I wanted to write about. I know that for a lot of us, our Mother’s Day won’t go like how they do in the movies. You know what I’m talking about. Dozens of flowers, a picture perfect breakfast in bed, and gifts galore. And if you are one of those lucky ladies, then well done girl. If my husband and son served me breakfast in bed I can guarantee you I would be spending the rest of my day washing bacon and butter crumb sheets. I wanted to write something for the single moms, the expecting moms, and for the moms that won’t be greeted with oodles of flowers come Sunday morning.

I know that there are days that are exhausting, when you want to pull all of your hair out. Then you look into your child’s eyes and remember why you’ve been ok with not sleeping for the past three years. And it makes it all worth it. Well let me tell you, it’s ok to be tired. It’s ok to not be able to stay awake if you sit down. It’s ok to be paranoid and to think your baby is awake every time you shut your eyes. It’s ok, it happens to us all.

There are mothers out there that seemingly have everything tied up perfectly with a Martha Stewart bow. I am not one of those women. I struggle with tantrums on a daily basis, with “I hate you mum mum” when he doesn’t get his way, and as of recent, a fake cry that can be heard around the world. And it’s ok. I’m a bad enough person that I can get through it by squeezing as much joy as i can out of knowing I have at least three friends going through the exact same thing. Judging from the glee I can actually hear in their voices when they call during a tantrum, I’m pretty sure that’s what helps them cling onto sanity as well.

You are not alone in your struggle. You are just trying to do the best that you can. If you need to cry, then cry. If you need to sneak off to the bathroom to eat a piece of chocolate that you don’t want to share, then do it. It doesn’t make you a bad person, it doesn’t make you a bad mom, and more importantly it doesn’t make you defeated. It makes you human.

I give kudos to anyone that has made this life choice. Pregnancy, delivery, breast feeding, sick tummies, colds and flu’s, crawling, walking, breaking everything you own, the discovery of toilet water and how toilet paper unravels, teething, child proofing, the first time they get hurt, the first time they say a word, the first time you hear “mom”, the first time they make a scene in public, the first time they talk back, the first day of school. To make the choice to be brave enough to allow a piece of your heart to walk around outside of your body. These are all things we have in common with one another. And I think we are all doing a damn good job.

So to all of the moms that are tired or feel like they are never doing a good enough job or don’t get told enough just how amazing they are, I would like to tell you that you’re doing a fabulous job. I know that some days it feels like your swimming upstream but there are no right answers. Your tired because you’re busy putting someone else’s needs before your own, and that’s exactly what it means to be a mom. So Happy Mother’s Day to all of you, from another tired mom who herself has a secret bag of candy hidden to eat in the bathroom away from tiny eyes.

xo Stephanie