I’ve been wearing myself out lately trying to be a “great mom and wife.” I’ve been cooking like a maniac and cleaning and hustling my butt off to bring in some additional money to the house. I’ve been packing snacks and lunches ahead of time, trying to exercise more to get some of my bedroom mojo back, and spending way too much time on Pinterest trying to find cute crafts to do with the kids.
Some days I just think to myself, “Man, I’ve got it all together!”
And then on other days I think, “What am I really trying to prove?”
My family, to their credit, they don’t ask me for much. They’re not asking for those elaborate lunches like you see above. They’re not asking me to wash clothes every day or sweep up the crumbs under the dining room table. They’re usually not even asking me to pay attention to them most of the time. They’re pretty low maintenance.
So where does this desire come from? Why am I trying to outdo myself and trying to find new ways to get better each day? Why can’t I just be content with being the mom I am naturally, versus trying to be some hyper organized version of myself?
I’m thinking today’s post is more about me than it is about you. I’m trying to figure out how to cut myself more slack. To give myself permission to just laze about the house every once in a while and not feel guilty about it. I’ve recently started a chore system with the kids and it’s working wonderfully at giving them more responsibility while alleviating my workload. (More on that in a later post!)
I take pride in how well I take care of my kids and my husband but at a certain point all I’m doing is driving myself crazy.
Do you sometimes feel like you do “too much” or “not enough” for your family? Speak your piece in the comments!
Sigh. I feel so lost at the moment I don’t even know how to answer this question. Some days, it’s not enough, sometimes it’s too much I’m sure!
No, but I think I am far more pragmatic about life than you are. I realized long ago that I cannot be all things to all people, and I just go day-by-day doing the best I can. Right now only half the house is clean, and I’m ok with that. I am debating whether it’s worth hiring a laundry service so I can preserve some free time.
I don’t do crafting or scrapbooking. I don’t do ‘creative’ lunches or overthink dinner. I have designed MY parameters for being a good wife and mom and those are what I by. Decide what’s important to you, and forget the rest.
All. The. Time. I go through the ups and downs nonstop. There are days where I want to cook my heart out, and others when I can barely stay awake and feel guilty for not doing the laundry. Like your family, my family doesn’t demand much. My husband likes the fact that I pack his lunches (I make extra dinner, and give him a portion) and he has breakfast to eat in the morning (also something that I made the night before).
I think we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves for what a wife and mother is supposed to be and back up the unrealistic expectations with bits and pieces of “facts” that feed our guilt.
Well, positive thinking is not the easiest thing to do.. How can you learn to see things differently, that s the question. Thanks for the article, though
I guess, we moms want to be “perfect” in all the ways and try set an example for our kids.