To the mom in the trenches,
I know some days it's hard — really hard — to pick your head up off your pillow and do it all over again. Your unrelenting days seem to mix and swirl together in a blur that not even copious amounts of caffeine can bring into focus. Mornings are arduous, you're exhausted, and you wonder if you even slept the night before.
Afternoons can seem like an eternity, especially if nap time resembles a battle. And trying to get through an evening — making dinner and cleaning up, while keeping your children happy to avoid a meltdown — is nearly impossible.
Truth: Motherhood is hard
It will all be worth it
You're in the thick of it, and I'm not going to tell you how fast time slips away and how one day you'll miss this struggle. I am going to tell you to hang on because soon it will get better. Your kids won't need you to do everything for them. One day, they'll occupy themselves for hours and you'll catch your breath without hiding in the closet or bathroom.
The time will come when they won't need you to fall asleep, and hectic bedtimes will be a thing of the past.
You will feel like getting dressed each day, and running simple errands will be just that: simple.
And guess what happens then? You become a better version of yourself. It's almost like the woman you were before you had kids, and the strong, nurturing woman you are now, meet for the first time and are able to coexist.
And it is glorious.
You're tougher for being a mom, you know how to take care of stuff, you can deal with anything that gets thrown your way. But you're softer, too. You've been changed by the love you have given your kids, and by the love they give you everyday. It's unconditional, and it gives you what you need.
So, hang in there, mama
You will make it through this day, and the day after, and the day after that. And you may look back at this time and say, "I wish they were young again," but you also find yourself reading, or talking to a friend, or sitting with them in a cafe without incident, looking up at and thinking, Look at my kids. Look how well they turned out. I did that.
And it will all be worth it. Promise.
