When we were young, we remember our moms saying that motherhood is the hardest job there is. Pre-children, we didn’t understand that statement. Now that we’re in the thick of it, we’ll shout it from the rooftops to anyone who wants to hear. Yes, motherhood is incredibly rewarding but it’s also mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. Even the influencers whose lives appear perfect have hard days. And as much as we hate to admit it, it can bring comfort when we see the people we look up to who are just like us. Just ask Steph Claire Smith.
Smith, a fitness influencer from Australia, recently shared a motherhood confession on Instagram that she’s not proud of. She yelled at her 3-year-old, and it hurt her heart as much as it hurt his. After posting the video, she saw she was not alone and that many other moms had the same feelings.
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Her son just wouldn't go to bed.
Smith explained that her 3-year-old son, Harvey, was giving her trouble at bedtime. He wanted to sleep in her bed, but as many moms know, that’s usually comforting and relaxing for the kid but miserable for us. She tried to redirect Harvey and told him she would cuddle in his bed instead. Unfortunately, Harvey ended up having what she called a “massive meltdown.”
Harvey's meltdown led to an embarrassing moment for Smith.
Instead of speaking to him calmly, Smith lost her patience and “screamed” at her son. Not only did this upset him, but she also became really upset. Her husband overheard the interaction and entered the room to see what had happened.
“I was so tired. I just kept thinking ‘Of course this is happening the night I’m going back to work’. In truth, I wasn’t there. I was like him,” she admitted.
Eventually, they both calmed down.
Emotions ran very high, but in the end, Harvey calmed down, and she eventually cuddled and calmed him down. She said she wanted to share the story with other moms so they realize she’s human, too. Not everything is always what it seems in the perfect online world.
She captioned the post in part, “I’m just doing my best – and I wanted to remind you all that are doing the same that you’re enough, that there’s no perfect parenting, and that we’re all in this together.”
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Moms loved her candor.
One wrote, “We’re all doing our best, darling. You’re human and a beautiful mother. Don’t forget to give yourself some grace.”
This person agreed and commented, “You are doing an amazing job hun. This parenting gig is tough especially when we are sleep deprived, that cortisol is heightened. In that moment of frustration you also taught him about regulation and thats a good thing.”
So did this commenter, who wrote, “Thank you for sharing this is a video I really needed to see this morning. My daughter is nearly 4 and we’re experiencing the same thing most nights, usually in the middle of the night and I have son who is just about to turn 2, he’s experiencing a sleep regression, we’re all very sleep deprived. Self regulating myself is key to handling their emotions and mine.. thank you for this reminder.”
At the end of the day, moms are all trying their best, and some days, they do better than others. And you know what? That’s totally OK.
