Dear Mama, Cut Yourself Some Slack

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Dear Mama, cut yourself some slack. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Honestly, I think as moms, we tend to be too hard on ourselves. We expect ourselves to be perfect, and often fall into this trap of trying to be “supermom.”

It’s so easy to do this when we live in a world submersed in perfect Instagram pictures and social media. It’s easy to get online and think every other mom has it all together. Heck, it’s easy to see other moms in person and think they have it all together.

It’s incredibly easy to think that we’re the only one who doesn’t have it all together. Do you know what the truth is?

No one has it all together.

Stop being so hard on yourself. You can’t do it all—no one can. It’s not a good thing or a bad thing, it’s just the way it is.

I know it’s hard to believe at times. It’s hard to believe that that perfect looking mom doesn’t have it all together.

It’s easy to see the highlights of one mom’s life and think that’s how it is 24/7 for her. And that false belief does nothing but fuel the pressure we feel to have an equally perfect life.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s okay to want good things.

It’s okay to want a great looking nursery, or nice clothes/house, or constantly happy kids. But you have to realize, just because one mom has one of these things, doesn’t mean everything else is perfect.

Stop feeling like you have to be perfect.

Stop being so hard on yourself when you feel less than perfect. Perfect isn’t real. Perfect isn’t sustainable.

No one—no one—is perfect.

And that’s okay. Girl, you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to try to do the best that you can with what you have. That’s all anyone can ask. And, whether you believe it or not, it will be more than enough.

Cut yourself some slack, stop being so hard on yourself.

Every mom is different, and every family is different. What works for one family may not work for yours. It’s okay if your life, parenting, and family look different from someone else’s. It doesn’t make you less than them.

Do what is best for you, your child, your family.

There are going to be days that are less than perfect.

There are going to be days when it all hits the fan and nothing goes right. There are going to be days when you feel like crap, when you feel alone, when you feel discouraged. Some days you’re going to feel like you’re never going to get the hang of parenting.

On those days, hang on. Keep trying, keep pushing through. Bad days will come, and they pass. Even if you’re in a valley that seems to never end, it will. Things will get better.

Don’t give up. Just as bad days are a part of life, so are good days.

Sooner or later, things will get brighter. You’ll have days when your baby will sleep through the night, your kids will get along. You’ll wake up feeling awesome, happy, and inspired. Things will get checked off your to-do list. You’ll learn to fall into a routine, and things will get done.

And on the days when that’s not the case, cut yourself some slack. Don’t be hard on yourself for a bad day, or week, or month. Things happen. Life happens.

Don’t be hard on yourself. You’re an amazing mom. You’ve grown a little person inside you for nine months, and if all you’ve done on a given day is kept the kids alive, then you’ve done just fine. Cut yourself some slack.