Motherhood Perfection

It’s not easy to be a Mother. We are in an era of knowledge overload and everyone from your neighbour to a stranger at the shops has an opinion on what you are doing.

Discipline techniques, co-sleeping vs control crying, public breast-feeding or “discreet” feeding…people think that  they have right of say over your choices, what you do with your children and what you do with your body.

That’s a lot of pressure, especially when you are fretting about doing the “right” thing for your children in the first place. It can be overwhelming and motherhood can be damn hard.

Sometimes it helps to remember this:

“The joys of motherhood are never fully experienced until the children are in bed” Author Unknown

I posted this to get a laugh out of mothers on my Facebook page earlier in the week. It is amazing feeling when they are finally asleep and you can ask yourself what you need to be in balance, (wine, chocolate, copious amounts of mind-numbing TV and hours lying horizontally help me!).

But the quote is actually a really important point to remember.

Why?

Because when there is so much going on you can only think clearly on reflection.

When I tuck my children in at night, my heart swells and sometimes I get tears in my eyes.

Even if their behaviour has been terrible.

Even if I have been shouting all day and on the verge of breaking down.

At bedtime, they are so gorgeous, just walking, talking examples of joy.

After his story, my three year old and I lie in his bed and talk over what we did that day. We then reflect on what we are thankful for and what the best part was. It doesn’t matter what he says, it matters to me that at the end of the day he feels safe and happy.

My one year old and I have a different routine. We snuggle on the chair together and read lots of books. We then say goodnight to all the animals in his room and he goes to bed safe and happy.

When my husband takes them to bed, he always comes down full of stories about what was said, funny comments and lots of happy moments. This is the time where we share with each other the love of our children through stories about their days, cute things that they did and get to reflect on how proud we are as parents.

What we don’t share, but I feel at night and when I am not with them, are moments that are special to just me.

The smell of my baby’s hair

The way his babble touches my heart

 The softness of his skin

The wetness of his mouth as he kisses my cheek

The touch of my three-year old’s hand on mine

How amazing I think his constant questioning and inquisitiveness is

His open and constant declarations of “I love you”

The happiness and pride in his eyes when I pick him up from kindy

These moments are so precious and so amazing that I couldn’t care less about what people think of my choices. I couldn’t care less about what I am giving up or what I couldn’t get done today.

My babies are perfect.

I am not a perfect mother, but on reflection, my experience of motherhood is perfection.

(Photos by Bloom Pixels)