The Self-Care Mom

 

If I sat here and told you all the things I swore I would never do with my kids you’d probably laugh because by now, with a second child, I’ve pretty much done it. Or at least came pretty close to doing it.

 

Like swiping something with my shirt instead of going to the sink to rinse it off. Hey, it happens! 

But that’s the least of my worries. 

 

I used to think that there was a “perfect mom” standard all the other moms had to abide by. Turns out, we’re all just doing what’s best for our families. 

 

 

When I found out I was going to be a mom, not once did I think about the things that someone else would say about my parenting. And not once did I think that my biggest critic was going to be my mother. We bumped heads so many times after the birth of our threenager. It still feels weird knowing that our firstborn is now three. 

 

Our boys are very good. They make Jeff and I look like star parents from time to time. But I will admit that they do get a little crazy behind closed doors. Our infant enjoys singing out loud and our threenager loves running back and forth throughout the house. Whoever sees them at someone else’s house thinks they’re the perfect angels. Although they can be, it doesn’t mean they’re like that all the time. 

As a new mom, and mother of a three-year-old boy, I can honestly tell you that mistakes happen. Below are five of the ones that come to mind:

 

1. I’ve dropped my kids. 

Our threenager was very curious and would reach for just about anything and everything in sight. So it was no surprise that we actually dropped our child more than three times. I don’t say this with a smile, but it was probably one of the scariest things that ever happened to me as a new mom.

 

2. I’ve cried in front of my kids.
Being a parent can be frustrating, but I never wanted to show them how overwhelmed I was feeling about everything. There was a time I just felt stressed out with everything that I just sat down in a corner and cried.
Maybe there weren’t anymore fruit snacks to help calm me down, but there was definitely a lot on my plate at the time and I couldn’t just walk away so I sat there… tears in my eyes. Our threenager asked if I was crying and gave me a hug. I’m pretty sure we went out for ice cream that day.

3. I’ve cursed around my kids. 
Prior to becoming a parent, I never wanted to taint a child’s mind by cursing around them. And then I became a parent myself. You know how that goes.

4. I’ve lied to my kids. 
I always said I’d never lie to my kids, yet I’ve told our threenager I’ll buy him a certain toy the next time we return to the store. Today, I’ve stopped lying to him about that and just tell him he has enough toys at home and that there are kids out there who don’t have one. I guess it works because he doesn’t ask for a toy as often anymore.

5. I’ve placed other things before my kids. 
I used to feel guilty whenever I placed my own needs before my kids’. I’ll be honest, there’s an ugly side to blogging that if you don’t put yourself on a schedule, you might overwhelm yourself with everyday life and trying to maintain your website.

Today, I just schedule in some me time whenever they’re asleep or preoccupied with something else.

Are you a new mom? Check out my Pinterest Board called Mama Bear for everyday tips and tricks.