Dec 7, 2016

Mom-ageddon

Being a perfect mom…is there even such a thing? Pinterest wants us to think so. But I don’t buy it. Not anymore anyway. With my first child, I truly thought things had to be perfect. He was always well-dressed, clean, and had all the latest baby toys and gear. Then, the second baby came along unexpectedly. I had every intention of doing the same things with her, but there was less of me to go around. She was a little less perfectly dressed, maybe a little dirtier, and had all the hand-me-down toys and baby gear. I had to learn to let go of the perfection a little. Then, along came baby number three. That’s when the shit hit the fan. In just about every way possible. Her clothes rarely match, sometimes I completely forget to bathe her, and she plays with garbage and rocks. But guess what? All three of my kids are ok, healthy, and smart. AND the world is still spinning!

Over the years, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I can’t do it all, even though I want to. Nothing is perfect, no matter how bad I want it to be. And guess what? The world didn’t end and I am alive to tell you all about it. The world didn’t end when I used the 6-year-old Pack N’ Play and baby swing instead of buying a new one. Life went on even though the baby didn’t have a “new” Christmas dress but instead wore something from a garage sale. These are some other things, that to my surprise, DIDN’T cause the world to end.

Wrinkly Pants – My kids wear them pretty much every day. They just dig them out of the laundry basket where they have been sitting since the week before. Hey, at least they are clean! The world is still spinning. I’m even pretty sure they have friends despite the crumpled clothes.

Non-Pinterest-themed Birthday Parties – My kids are perfectly happy with paid for parties at the local movie theater or bowling alley. No handmade invites, cakes, or party favors here! AND they have just as much fun.


Mismatched Clothes – It’s just not worth the fight. I let my three-year-old wear pretty much whatever she wants (within reason). A pink floral shirt, black striped pants, and two mismatched socks…why not. Leotard? Sure thing! She may look like a freak, but she is happy an I’m not late for work. Win – Win.


Yellow School Bus – My kids ride the old, yellow school bus to school every day. They also stand OUTSIDE at the bus stop and wait to be picked up. I wish I could drive them to school every day, but it just isn’t realistic for our family. Amazingly, no one has died because of this.

PB & J – We eat it for dinner. A lot. It’s quick and easy and the kids will actually eat it. It could be worse, right? We are all still here to talk about it.

See? No earth-ending catastrophes or deaths. Everyone has survived the horror of my “less than perfect” parenting. At least so far. All I can do is my best. And I guess my best is subpar…but I can hope that sometimes I might just be perfect in my child’s eyes.

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Hot Pink Wellingtons
Life Love and Dirty Dishes
ethannevelyn

20 comments:

  1. A big "Yes" to all of the above! Power to the not-perfect mamas! Lol #sharingthebloglove

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  2. We've all been there...I plan perfect parties, perfect outfits, perfect Christmasses all in my head and they always end up being just something thrown together at the last minute because I didn't have the time/money/energy/motivation. As long as our children have clothes, are fed and get to school then we're doing a pretty awesome job in my book! #ablogginggoodtime

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  3. So good. No kids need ironed tights for school! Let's live on the edge! #ablogginggoodtime

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  4. I wish I could get my kid to eat PB&J. For some bizarre reason she doesn't like jelly. Lunch on the weekends all too often is 2 pieces of toast with cheese melted in the middle. I don't even make a proper grilled cheese! #blogginggoodtime

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  5. I think your 'less than perfect parenting' sounds fab - I bet your kids are happy and that's the main thing! #ablogginggoodtime

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  6. YES! No such thing as perfect parenting and no point trying to be the pinterest perfect parent and nearly killing ourselves in the process. I never iron my kids clothes, I just tell them that the wrinkled look is very now #FridayFrolics

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  7. Amen! I only have 2 kids and have already come to terms with our fate. ha ha #fabfridaypost

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  8. So, so true! Love it! Sarah #FabFridayPost

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  9. Pinterest has a lot to answer for when it comes to parenting! I never iron - I don't iron my own clothes, and I don't iron my son's either. On the rare occasion the iron comes out it's normally for a special occasion! And when it comes to parties, I have all kinds of lovely ideas, but when it comes to executing them I find I run out of time / motivation and we end up with something pretty standard. But you're right - my son is just as happy either way, which is the main thing! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! Our kids don't know the difference, right?

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  10. Amen mama! We can´t do it all... Thanks for linking-up at Working Mommy Abroad, sharing :)

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  11. The minute I realised that the perfect mum doesn't exist, my life became easier and better. I don't iron, I give my children easy dinners and I buy everything for their party to make my life easier. But I do sing with my girls, dance with girls, read with my girls and try and make life as fun as possible. We seem to be doing ok. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove x

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  12. Perfect parents are far too boring! Easy dinners are the way forward and I steer clear of Pinterest! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics. Have a fantastic Christmas. Hope to see you linking up again in 2017.

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