Mom of 3 goes viral for championing the ‘kid mom’ phase and the comments are one collective sigh of relief

Like all things in life, motherhood has its seasons. For many, the infant phase is equal parts special and soul-crushing, and when your baby starts to grow into their own little person it’s so fun to interact and bond with them, but the toddler stage comes with its own set of challenges, too. And even if you have a smooth go at parenting in these eras, there’s also the prep that goes along with it: planning around naps and bedtime routines, packing an ungodly amount of things for even the smallest adventure (and don’t even get me started on traveling with young kids). 

But there’s a phase that often gets overlooked when talking about motherhood—the kid stage. And Instagrammer Erin Monroe (@erin.monroe_) recently went viral for pointing out just how great being a kid mom can be.

“One day you realize that you just went to the zoo with your three kids and all you brought with you is a fanny pack with some hand sanitizer in it,” she says in the reel. “You just spur of the moment woke up and all of you said, ‘Let’s go to the zoo today,’ so you got in the car and you went to the zoo and all you brought with you is a fanny pack. No diaper bag; no backpack with all the crap in it; no sippy cups and formula and bottles and diapers; you just got up and you went to the zoo because you all wanted to go to the zoo.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Erin Monroe (@erin.monroe_)

“No mental gymnastics of having a plan around feeding times and sleeping times and nap times,” she continues. “No stroller, no wagon, you all just wanted to go to the zoo. So you got in the car and you went to the zoo and everybody walked around the entire zoo and we looked at the animals and we talked about them and we read the little signs about them and we had a great time. We had such a great time.”

Monroe ended her monologue with her poignant realization: “And then, on the way home, we got a Happy Meal and everybody was happy, and you realize ‘I’m not a bad mom. I’m just not a baby and toddler mom. I’m a kid mom. And I’m freaking loving this era of motherhood and being a kid mom.’”

Her message resonated with other moms who are having a hard time in their current season of motherhood. “I literally felt a weight lift by hearing you say this,” one wrote in the comments. “My son is 3 and this is not my era.”

“Wow I can feel my jaw unclench listening to this,” wrote another.

If you feel in your element as a baby or toddler mom, that’s great! But motherhood is not one-size-fits-all, and it’s important to hear that if you’re struggling, another era is right around the corner, and it might just be one that makes you thrive.