Mama, you can do this.
Being a mom is hard. Difficult. Challenging. Painful. Backbreaking. Exhausting. These little people push you to the limits of your sanity. Each day in my home, the day starts with “Stop! No! Get down! Don’t run! You’re going to hurt your sister! Be gentle with one another! Don’t push! Stop screaming! Pick up your toys! Gentle with your toys! ¡Eso no se hace (don’t do that)! ¡Ya (stop it already)! ¡Para (Stop)! ¡Bájate de ahí (get down from there)! ¡Toma la leche (drink the milk)!” I’ll say a combination of these phrases in the first 20 minutes of my day. The expressions are endless. The days are endless. The nights go fast, and the wheels start turning again by 7:00 am. Some days by 7:30 am, I already feel like I have reached my limit for the day. But I have not, and I keep going.
I keep going to get them ready for the day. I keep going with a two-year-old that is not quite potty trained and loves to hide both herself and whatever objects are within her reach. The remote, my phone, my husband’s work badge and pretty much anything she can get her hands on to hide. I keep going to make sure my five-year-old is wearing the right clothing. Was today the Dr. Seuss parade? Is today the day she needs to wear the crazy hat? I run and double-check the calendar. No, today is the day she needs to wear crazy socks, not the crazy hat. I keep going to remember that in fact, today I do need to send her with two flowers for her each of her wonderful teachers. I keep going to leave on time so that she is at school on time. I keep going and before we can actually “get going” I have to put her 2-year-old sister in the front seat to play. She pretends she is driving with a huge smile on her face. If I skip this step, getting her into the car seat and getting us out of the driveway becomes a grudge match.
In between all of this, I get non-stop questions or statements of assertion from my extremely curious and sassy five-year-old. “Mommy, do whales eat humans?” “Mommy, did you know that God knows all the bones in our body?” “Mommy I am going to be a superhero detective dancer when I grow up!” “Mommy, can you get me the glue?” “Mommy, did you know the sun is a star?” “Look at my dance moves, mom!” “Mommy, can you give me a cookie?” “Mommy check out my karate kick!” “Mommy, can I be a ballerina karate superstar girl?” “Mommy how many teeth do sharks have?” “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.”
It. Does. Not. Stop. I keep going.
I try to teach my 2-year-old new words and phrases. So far, she has all the important ones down. “I want that!” “Mine!” and “Let it go!” I did not teach her that last one, Elsa did. These phrases will surely help her get her into a top university. Because in between all of the above, I’m also trying to spur her development so that she can go to college or get a stable job one day. Truthfully, I am trying to stimulate her growth so that she can pass all the state-mandated testing that will make her feel they determine her intelligence. They do not.
I take Gianna to her karate class or ballet class, and I have to chase her two-year-old sister around the entire karate or ballet studio. Some days I have help, and I can leave Adalind at home. This gives me the chance to watch Gianna practice. I treasure those practices.
Did I mention in between all of this I have a full-time job? I am not special. What I do, mothers across the country do each day. I want you to know mamas that I see you. I feel you. I hear you.
I ask you to hold on. When you think you can’t parent anymore, you can. When you have reached the end of your rope mama, check again and you will find that there is still rope left. Because while being a mom is challenging, exhausting and stressful, it is also rewarding, adventurous and easy. “Easy?” You are probably thinking, I’ve lost my mommy mind. After reading all this, now she says it is easy?
It is easy because in between all the chaos are little people that adore you. Easy because just when I have reached my limit, my daughters pull me back, hitting me right in the heart. My five-year-old will say, “I love you, mama.” “You are so pretty, mama.” “You are my hero mama!” My two-year-old will hug me and say, “Mama, sit!” because she wants me to color with her. She will run up to me and say “Mamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” with an extension on the “a” so that she can assert that I am in fact her mother.
In between all the discipline, there are tears wiped, hugs given, and more “I love you” phrases said than I can count. Because even when my two-year-old hides something, the joy on her face when we find it is priceless. Because even when I cannot remember if it is a crazy hat or crazy socks day, seeing my daughter put together her outfits makes me giggle. Because even when I have to spend an extra two minutes with my two-year-old in the driver’s seat so she can play before we leave, one day she will be sixteen and driving on her own. Right now, my daughter’s curious mind asks me all sorts of questions. It won’t be long before these drives are silent with nothing more than, “How was your day?” “Fine, Mom.” No, it won’t be long at all.
I may have been exaggerating about the easy part, it’s not always easy, but it is so worth it. Therefore, Mama, hold on. Remember each day, you have your baby to hold you, kiss you and tell you are the best mom in the whole world. You are. Every single one of you reading this, you are the best mom in the entire world.
If you’d like to subscribe to be notified when a new post is made, please check the box below the post!
