Sometimes Being “Just Okay” is Enough

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1[quote]I’ll be the first to admit, sometimes I fall victim to the thinking that I need to be Super Mom all of the time.[/quote]

That my kids need to be entertained all the time, that I need to have a delicious (and nutritious) dinner prepared each night and that laundry needs to be washed, folded and put away all in the same day (now we’re just getting out of hand.) That’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it?

I’m here to release you from that pressure, Super Mom wannabe…sometimes being “just okay” is enough.

In fact, it’s more than enough.

Now listen, this revelation didn’t just come to me overnight. It took getting pregnant with my third child to realize this. As a mom of a 3 year old boy and a 1 year old boy who are active and needy, throwing in the first trimester of pregnancy was enough to throw us off, well a lot.

I wasn’t entertaining my kids…I was allowing them to entertain themselves (ok, so Curious George helped too.) I was definitely not making delicious and nutritious meals…I was calling my husband at 5:01 making sure he knew the closest Chipotle location.  And I was for sure not washing laundry, let alone folding it and putting it away. My poor husband was wearing the same socks for days (he seemed to forget where the washer was located.)

I started to feel bad about myself and my mothering. Thoughts like “I should be on top of this motherhood thing all the time!” and “so and so is providing a hot meal for her family tonight” popped into my mind.  Negative self talk was making me feel less than the superstar mom that I know I am.  So what if I was going through a period of being a so-so mom? I rock at this mom thing (disclaimer: this is my own opinion and not my kids’) the other 85% of the time.

So mama, I’m here to encourage you to get over that negative self talk

(or at least let you know you aren’t alone.) And here is why: 

It’s okay if your kids are still in pajamas at 4:00pm.  It creates less laundry.

It’s okay if the cashier at Chipotle knows you by your first name. It probably tastes better than that Pinterest recipe anyway.

It’s okay if it looks like a small tornado ripped through your kitchen.  It can be cleaned at bedtime.

It’s okay if you haven’t showered in a few days. It’s better for the environment anyhow.

It’s okay if you send your kids off to play by themselves. It helps build their independence.

It’s okay if you take a nap while your kids are napping. There will always be things that need done, take care of yourself.

So if you are feeling less than the mom you know you are, know this…you are awesome!! We all go through those times when we feel like we are failing or we just positively, absolutely cannot give it our all today, this week or this month.  You are allowed to be just okay.  You will bounce back to the Super Mom you are, I know it.  The perfect house and meals and daily activities really don’t mean anything in the scheme of things.  Your kids are loved, and in my opinion, that makes you WAY more than just okay.

 

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Megan Gariety
I am the mother to two of the most well behaved children in the history of children. They listen the first time around, always clean up their messes and sleep peacefully through the night. I greet my husband at the door each night looking like a million bucks with a dinner on the table that even Martha Stewart would envy. Lies. All of it. I am blessed to be a mother to two red haired (in looks and personality) boys who are so full of energy and life you can't help but to smile. They are not known to listen the first time, sleep through the night or clean up after themselves, but they do give the worlds best kisses, so it pretty much evens out. I do greet my husband at the door each night, but usually in sweats and with a baby in hand to give to him so I can run back to the stove before dinner burns. Aside from running a non-perfect household, I also work at home sharing my Plexus health and wellness business. My faith is important to me and guides my decision making in life (minus the time I had terrible bangs in middle school-there is no way that was a God thing.) My husband proposed to me by golden ticket inside of a Willy Wonka bar and that pretty much sums up our entire relationship. My favorite phrase is "it will change your life" but it is usually only true 10% of the time. My favorite things about motherhood: taught me what unconditional love really means and finally having an excuse to wear sweats every day!

3 COMMENTS

  1. I too started to write a similar blog – I am going to post my beginning here – Great article Megan!

    Mom – defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a person’s mother; that’s it. At the end of the day you have done your job by definition just simply by being. However I can say that we by nature feel as though simply being is not nearly enough. If I asked you to define yourself as a mother I am sure some of the follow would be used: chef, maid, driver, medic, personal Assistant, stylist, secretary, personal shopper, companion, cuddler, reading buddy, coach, tutor, and more. Personally I can relate to all of those and I can say that I do NOT get paid enough. On top of all that I also have a full time ‘out of the home’ job, a husband who needs his own brand of attention (and sadly many of the above also 😉 ), friends who I try not to forget, neighborhood parties to plan, PTO to attend, family to see, exercise to keep up with my brood, and more I am probably forgetting.

    How do we do it? How do we get it all done? It’s the cape – SUPERMOM!
    Sometimes it is ok to hang up the cape; take care of yourself, ensure your kids survive the day and that alone can be the victory

  2. Wow, I feel a lot better as a mom, myself 🙂 I started out with the cape and big M on my shirt for super mom when I had you. I was even a little proud of myself. Then along comes Matt and I started to relax….just a little, well maybe more than that. And along came Michael and your dad says to me one day. “Boy he’s done you in, you’re taking naps and you never took naps.” But you have surpassed me along time ago in the super department. I thought I did a lot but try to balance so much and some days it is okay to take the cape off and feed them chex mix for dinner b/c they won’t eat anything !!! You are a super mom, just the way you love them so.

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