Mom's Relatable, Beautiful Blog Post: 'I Forgot How To Be the Happy Mom'
We hear all about it on social media — another mom shamed or made to feel guilty for this or that or the other thing.
Some of us spend so much time judging everyone else, we lose sight of what truly matters. We forget to be present in our own lives because we’re so busy fixing someone else’s.
Then there are those of us who take on another’s judgment. We feel that shame and guilt so deeply, we let what a bully says define us.
One mom totally gets this. Rachel Marie Martin has made it her goal to remind moms to let go of “mom guilt” and take time for themselves.
Martin’s post originally published on her blog and more recently shared with TODAY Parenting Team has resonated with a lot of moms who’ve been needing an extra dose of encouragement.
“I Forgot How to be the Happy Mom” speaks so much truth, I’m thinking Martin is a professional “Mom Whisperer,” if that’s even a thing.
“I know how to be the busy mom…” she writes. “I’ve figured out how to survive on three hours of interrupted feet in my face kids waking up sleep…”
Those words. Is there any mom reading this and scratching their head? I’d be surprised if there’s a mom out there who has never had a foot or two in the face.
“Sometimes I fear I’ve lost it in the busy and the stress…” Martin continues. “…sometimes I feel guilt. Guilt about not being more present or laughing more…”
All parents have certainly been there. But Martin’s relatable words remind us that amidst the stress and guilt and hiding “the card that brings you back to the beginning of Candyland because the game isn’t ever ending,” there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
There is a secret to finding joy and being that happy mom (or dad) again. Martin says, “It’s about grace today.”
“And knowing that happy can come back. And maybe maybe maybe just allowing yourself a minute to be happy and to let the cares of the world and never ending to-do’s fall off of your back just for a moment.”
In a video she posted to Facebook, Martin expands on this concept. “Today I want you to do that one thing that is for you,” she urges.
It can be so easy to forget who you are or what you like or what your passions are when you have fruit loops in your hair and spit-up on your blouse.
But all moms need a little self care. Guilt-free self care that helps us relax and let go of all the stress that builds up over the course of a day.
Thank you, Rachel Marie Martin for this truth and the reminder that it’s okay to do things for ourselves. Every. Day.
For more relatable mom-isms from the author of “The Brave Art of Motherhood,” visit FindingJoy.net or check out Finding Joy on Facebook.
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