Parenting is hard.
Humans can’t seem to agree on much, but every one who has ever been in charge of raising up a kid can probably agree on this.
Personally, I think the struggle is part of what makes being a mom awesome. The daily unknown, the constant challenges; it’s like an adventure every single day of your life.
Wondering if your kid is going to wake up six times or three tonight, if he’s going to barf in the toilet or in your lap, if he’s hiding in the closet because he thinks it’s fun or because it’s where he prefers to drop his loads. The unknown is what makes parenting exciting.
I’ve never understood those moms who say they get bored at home with their kids. I haven’t been bored in 12 years; ain’t nobody got time for that. In fact, I’d relish even just an hour of sheer boredom.
Always somewhere to be. Always something to do. Always things that need to be cleaned, and homework to help with, and fights to ignore break up, and meals that pretty much everyone hates and no one will eat to cook. Constant movement. Constant engagement. Constant talking-singing-arguing-giggling-crying-hugging-loving-being.
It’s a beautiful, fulfilling, amazing journey, but hard, hard, hard.
But, I guess creating awesome humans has to be hard, like everything else worth doing.
But what if it could be easier?
I’m of the belief that it can be.
Every day doesn’t have to leave you wiped and unshowered and crying yourself to sleep right along with your baby. I mean, most of them still will, but not all of them.
Awesome Mommying Files: 5 Things Moms Can do to Make Life Easier
1. Ask for help. Don’t be shy. If you need it, you need it. Simple as that.
2. Forget spontaneity. That part of your life is over, just like the part where you could wear a bikini to play volleyball on the beach. Plan ahead. Use a schedule. Don’t leave home with a poorly stocked diaper bag. Or with your top unbuttoned because you forgot to do it up after you fed the baby. Of course things can be fun and every now and again you can surprise your kids and yourself with ice cream for dinner. But your life will be easier if you just know what’s coming, at least as for as afternoon nap and evening meals are concerned.
3. Take a beat. You need time to regroup, recharge, hide from your kids in the bathroom while you jam Recess’ Cups in your mouth. No one is saying you have to full on GNO it every weekend, but daily, you need a moment to meet no one’s needs but your own. If you like showers, don’t skip them, if you like working out, get ‘er done, if the simple act of peeing alone is enough to set you straight, give your toddler your iPhone, and sit her outside the door where you can hear her singing Let It Go while you do your business.
4. Focus on happy. The not-so-joyful moments of parenting are distracting. And there are just so, so many of them. Being positive and focusing on the joyful moments is so much harder. It requires mindfulness that is easy to lose sight of when you’re covered in kid flavored crazy all the time. But, if you can, think how much happier of a mother you will be!
5. Buy good stuff. Technology makes life easier. Products that save you time and effort are awesome because they, er, save you time and effort. I love sharing cool products with other moms, stuff I use (or used to use when The Dudes were little, or would’ve used if we weren’t old and half of this stuff was invented then), stuff I would use if I had an expendable income and countless hours to scour the web for awesomeness.
This week I went on a Fox news segment sharing some cool on-the-go-mom products with my local peeps and I get to give all of them away to you!
Products (l to r): Pourty Fleci-fit toilet seat, Orbit personalized sippy cup labels, MyDrinky jucie box holder, Thermacell Outdoor Lantern, NuFoot Footwear, Silicone baby bib.
Happy parenting!
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