I will remind myself to call the babysitter in the morning, buy dish soap, call the dentist, and respond to the work email, all in about 25 seconds. When I should be sleeping.
I just feel like this is my civic duty to post and tell whoever's out there right now crying that you aren't alone, that you are normal and that it's going to be alright.
It's not simply overwhelming that parenting standards have risen dramatically while support systems have vanished, it's an unfair setup that has mothers thinking their personal inadequacies are to blame for what is actually the fault of a broken system and distortions of reality.
This is a picture of me mid-meltdown during my second week as a mom of two. I just got done breastfeeding for what felt like the 100th time and my husband had just entered the room asking if I needed anything, and I said no. When he walked out, I just broke down. Because there were SO many things I needed.
I realized that, for better or worse, joking about being a wine mom is a palatable
code for saying "this is hard." That feeling is one just about every parent experiences, often on a
daily basis—but it can still be hard to admit, lest we be accused of not appreciating
motherhood enough.
I still have times when I get caught up in the frenzy of motherhood and put my needs on the back burner for weeks, or even months, at a time. But then I remember my life-changing revelation and I schedule a babysitter and give myself a couple of hours to get back on track.
