Being the perfect mom

It’s often said that it takes a village to raise a child. But what if you don’t have a village?

Well it’s just as important to have a mom tribe, a group of moms who will be there for you no matter what. I call them my no-matter-what friends.

We often share mom jokes with one another, and when we get the chance we meet for ladies night too. And I can’t tell you how rejuvenating those jokes and that time spent together is. It’s like a breath of fresh air to my tired mom bones, to hear about their challenges of motherhood, to maybe cry a little over daughters’ independence, and yes to laugh over kiddies (and hubbies) antics too. Food for the soul. And no dishes to wash either…it’s a win-win!

Being a mom sometimes leaves me so tired that I wonder how I will push through. I have so many balls in the air to juggle that I wonder what will happen if one falls. And there are always those little eyes watching me that I feel the pressure of wanting to be, and needing to be, the perfect mom.

But is there such a thing as the perfect mom? To my mind no, to my kids minds I think yes. Something I saw shared earlier today spoke to my heart and to the battle fighting raging within me at the moment. “All your kids want is you. Not the fit mom, not the Pinterest mom, not the PTA mom, not every other mom you think you should be. All they want is you, so be the happiest you there ever was.”

Wow. Isn’t that just so true moms?

Is your house ever tidy enough? Do your kids ever eat enough veges? Is the washing basket ever empty? We torture ourselves with trying to be the perfect mom every day. When the truth is we already are.  From the moment that little person was born into this world and made us a mom we have been the perfect mom to them. Chosen so specially to be their mom and with the knowledge that we would try our very best every day to be the best mom for them that we could be. And that’s good enough moms.

So, my advice to you is this. Yes, try to be the best mom you can be, but don’t spend so much time worrying about being that perfect mom that you miss being their mom, already perfect to them. And make sure that you find yourself a bunch of no-matter-what friends, because we all need support from other moms, a shoulder to cry on and a good barrel of laughs every now and then. Plus no dishes, because that’s important too.