I love being a mom.
Every single part of it.
It is the hardest thing that I have ever done.
Many days I feel like I am a huge failure.
But I would not trade it for anything in the world.

(janey and I
early morning iphone self portrait

I am taking a little break from old skool week because I felt like this post needed to be written. My humor is a bit on the scarcastic side and when my sister in law emailed me the 10 step program from yesterday's post I couldn't stop laughing. We both have three kids of identical ages and go through many of crazy things at the same time. I wish that I wrote it, but someone much funnier than I did. I would love to know who it was.

Anyway, if you don't have kids please don't let the silly illustrations scare you.
Yes. Life as you know it will be over.
But your new life will be so much richer and fuller than you ever imagined.

There will be days where you cry.
Tears of frustration.
Exhaustion.
Your heart will break.

But then there will be many days when you cry different tears.
Tears of joy.
Gratitude.
Delight.

Every single part of it will be worth it.
You might think back on your old life and miss it.
But then you will see their little faces.
The love they have for you.

You won't want to trade it for anything in the world either.

Then you can come back here, read it again with a whole new set of eyes. Eyes that see the reality in the silliness and not the fear.


15 Comments

  1. I loved this post AND the last post. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants!

    But yes, the hardest thing I've ever done, yet I wouldn't trade it for anything.

    Thanks for being real.

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  2. Great post..I talk today how being a popsicle deliver and medicine passer outer...is all worth it!

    sandy toe

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  3. Very well said...thanks for being so honest!

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  4. So true Julie... parenthood isn't something I think you can understand unless you're thrown into it-- I mean "enter into it". Such an amazing and awesome experience though.

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  5. so true...being a stay at home mom really is THE hardest thing I've ever done but the MOST rewarding at the same time. I'm going on 14 months of sleep deprivation...my youngest still won't sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time at night and there are plenty of days where I am so exhausted, I cry over the smallest things, and all too often feel like a failure.
    Thanks for this!

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  6. Love this! Thank you so much for this reminder julie!

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  7. Thank you for posting this! I just had a baby & I needed to read this.

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  8. I loved the last two posts! I loved them because they shared that being a mom isn't all unicorns and rainbows, and that it's ok. It doesn't need to be for it to be life changing and amazing!!

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  9. great post.
    just want to let you know i was also being sarcastic about the 12 year plan in my comment yesterday. i know, from so many moms that i'm around, that it's absolutely worth it but my husband and i do take seriously the fact that our lives will change dramatically [for the good] and we're just not quite ready for that change.

    it seems fabulous to be able to find the humor in some of the most difficult parts of mothering :)

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  10. Tegan and Tage have the right idea about being 'thrown' into parenthood. In my case though, it is grandparenthood. My kids were planned from the beginning. Before we were married, we had decided on 3 children regardless of whether they were all boys, all girls or a mixture. We consciously had them while we were young...that's what our parents did. But raising my grandkids is not something I ever expected to happen. And yes, there are days when I am too exhausted to think straight, but I paste on that happy smile and keep the tremble out of my voice so that the kids don't get upset by it. But the unprompted kisses and hugs, the 'I love you, Gamma's, the 'Look what I made for you's, make it all worth it. When I pick the grandkids up from preschool and kindergarten and they come running towards me with arms outstretched...it is all soooo worth it!

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  11. Thanks for this post. I've been going through lots of different emotions lately, and I was wondering if it may be postpardum depression--I know you mentioned having gone through it--how did you finally figure out what it was and how did you take action?

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  12. I'm pretty sure the ten steps you posted are from The Secret of Happy children by Steve Biddulph:) He's an Australian author and psychologist. I was nearly ROFL the first time I read the tens steps in his book.

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