Cute emails filled with adorable stories and pictures of our family filled activities inspired by a lesson at school.
Scholastic book orders turned in on time…or at all.
Crafty snacks and sandwiches. Or even meals planned ahead.
Sneaking in to my boys’ bedrooms to watch them sleep.
Not one sippy cup or refillable bottle out of place or left in the car to rot for days.
Planning a field trip like experience on the weekend full of enriched nature based activities.
Maintaining a flawless and well oiled schedule for chores, activities, and bedtime routines.
Setting up play dates.
Seeking the sports and activities I want my boys to be dedicated to through their elementary years.
Yeah, I’m not that mom.
And if you are, no judgement here. High fives all around!
I’m the mom that submits that picture of a community helper assignment my kindergarten was supposed to do 2 days ago while remotely learning from home because the day it was assigned was a shit show of tantrums and stress and it just didn’t get done.
I am that mom pulls out an Uncrustable from the freezer and tells my kids to let it thaw OR pretend its a PBJ popsicle. It’ll be fun!
I am the mom that sighs a breath of relief after my children go to bed that I can finally have a minute to myself. Because A WHOLE YEAR of a global pandemic and remote learning has taken a toll on all of us.
I am the mom that has grand ideas for a schedule and routines. I’ll create beautiful charts and tables on Publisher, print, and laminate them. I’ll Pinterest the hell out of an idea and make it my own. I’ll introduce them as if I am presenting on QVC and my children are the consumers at home dying to pick up the phone and order. And then several week’s later, they ask, “Why don’t we ever do that chart anymore?” or say, “Mommy, you’ve forgotten about our chart a lot.”
I’m the mom that goes on a treasure hunt trying to find out what that dang smell is in her car, only to find a disgusting kids bottle that now resembles a science experiment on kinds of bacteria and fungi. And then promptly throws it out and orders a new one from Amazon.
I’m the mom that says why go to a park when you have 3 acres to play on?!? Go on!
And I am content with that. I know that I love my kids more than life itself. I will turn every stone and search every crevice to find the best ways I can be their mom.
I will laugh when I can, so I don’t cry. Some days are simply about surviving the ADHD catastrophes, the oppositional defiant personality my 6 year old has mastered like prodigy, or just breathing to regulate myself when trying to help my 7 year old learn and USE his tools to regulate his very big emotions.
I will soak in the days when I see those glimpses of growth as they tackle a new skill when I know they have faced so much tragedy in their short lives. I will give grace because they are just kids. Kids that have experience a lot more hard than a lot of adults I know.
I may not be THAT mom. I am their mom. And good at. Devoted, loving, self sacrificing, and constantly seeking growth from myself and my boys.
That is enough.