Today someone asked me if taking care of a baby and being a mom was hard. I shrugged and said not really, it's fun. Right now we are in the super fun 10 month exploring and rapid cognitive growth stage and it's awesome! Seriously, watching this guy grow and learn is so fun. But then I think about everything we have gone through to get here...
Yes, it is fun, BUT it is also hard. It is very hard. Being up all night with a screaming newborn is hard. Pacing around the house for hours on end because that's the only way he won't cry is hard. Not knowing what your baby needs when he's crying is hard. Breastfeeding is hard. Heck, just trying to dress in appropriate clothes to breastfeed in is hard. When people don't invite you to things because they assume you're doing mom things, it's hard. When you go back to work and have to leave your 8 week old at day care, it's excruciatingly hard. Trying to make new mom friends is hard. Sleep training is hard. Navigating my new self is hard. Constantly wondering if you're making the right decisions for your tiny human is hard.
I'm sure this is not the answer she was looking for, but it's honest. I feel like it's easy for social media to glamorize being a mom. It probably looks easy in all of the cutesy pictures that are posted, but honey, it's not easy, but it's worth it.
Mom's do not get breaks. We do not get to go to the bathroom alone. Or shopping. Or anywhere. If I'm lucky I can remember to shower and eat lunch while the baby takes a 30 minute nap. If I do leave the baby to go grocery shopping, my mind is only thinking about the baby and I end up forgetting half of the things I was supposed to buy because suddenly I feel like I need to rush home.
My intention is not to make motherhood sound negative. There is SO much more to being a mom and 99% of it is positive. It is glorious. But I feel like I owe my friend an honest answer about what being a mom is like. It is a whole new world that you will not even come close to understanding until you are standing in my shoes and spit-up stained clothes. Shaping this tiny human takes every ounce of energy and rewards me 1000% more than I can even put into words.
