Tip # 1- You Don't Have to Like Being a Mom

            I'm feeling particularly maternal and content this evening, after a good time at homeschool co-op and a relatively peaceful afternoon and toddler bedtime.  I try and savor the feeling, because it tends not to last very long.  And for those of us on this crazy mommy journey, it's sometimes the only payment we get for our labors.

            I'm even drinking a cup of motherhood tea; an herbal blend of fenugreek, fennel, coriander, anise, and blessed thistle that's supposed to help you lactate more.  Since starting my birth control a few weeks ago, I've noticed a significant drop in the amount of extra milk I'm able to pump.  And though I still make enough to feed my cute little beastie, Mama sure does like having extra milk in the fridge so she can get out once in awhile.

           Before Jon left on his last work trip, I confessed something that had been bothering me all day.  As usually happens when I clam up and don't confide in him, I started getting snappy with the three-year-old and was nearly in tears for turning into the Mommy Monster again.  I told him this, and he said it bugged him the entire trip:

Some days, I really don't like being a mom.

          You'll notice I didn't throw in the towel and say I didn't want to be a mom anymore.  Nope, whether we admit it or not, we don't like being moms all the time.  In fact, some days it downright sucks.  You've got very unreasonable small people demanding constant care and attention, all the while trying to juggle a home, husband, job, activities, and Lord only knows what else.  Add that to the sheer, skull-breaking exhaustion and sleep deprivation, and you've got a recipe for a mental breakdown.

          It took me awhile to learn that this feeling is normal, that it's okay to not like motherhood all the time.  It's okay to silently scream and curse in my own head when I feel like giving up and shoving my little darlings in daycare.  It's okay to give myself a break and not have a guilt party to add to the jaw-numbing depression I'm already battling with.

          It's okay to not like it.

          It's okay to not be great at it.

     Just so long as you do it the best you can, even if that best means PB and J's for dinner and letting the kids watch Frozen so you can go have a cry in privacy.  It's okay to beat the pillows and bitterly wish, just for a moment, that you could do anything else.  It's okay to let the house go a little so you can cuddle your baby through a colic episode, or let your toddler pick out mismatched clothes.

     We all have those days, and my God, I'm amazed at how strong we are.  When people talk about the family unit being the foundation of our country, I think they really mean mothers.  We are the rock and cornerstone of our families, even on our weakest days.  So long as we rely on God, and especially one another for help, we can learn to like and even love being moms.