When The Mom Guilt Is Real

This post is in partnership with Yoplait.  I am beyond thrilled to work with a company I absolutely love and believe in!

When I was a little girl, all I ever thought about was being a mom.  So much so, that I would tell my friends that my dream car was a mini van.  Yes, really.   I grew up and my dreams came true.  I even got the mini van that I wanted.  But along with motherhood came some things that I wasn’t expecting.  Things like —

The mom guilt is real.  So so so real.   Like devil-on-my-shoulder, real.  Being a special needs mom presents itself with all kinds of opportunities for judging and self doubt.  There have been the death stares at grocery stores from people watching as my toddler screamed loudly over and over again because he didn’t want to be there.  Or interesting conversations about why my nine year old was still wearing training pants to bed at night.

I realized long ago that I just need to do what’s best for my family.  I need to not let all the noise around me distract from the most important job I have – being a mom.  And if that means playing by my own rules, then so be it.  I’m just going to Mom On.

That includes letting my kids stay up later.  Or watching a show that I wouldn’t normally watch to have the hard talks with my kids.  Sometimes that means looking at my dirty house that needs to be cleaned, throwing caution to the wind, and heading to the beach.

Because while there will always be a sink of dishes to wash or laundry baskets full of dirty clothes, I won’t always have the time to spend with three kids who mean the most to me.

We’ll gather our beach stuff, some snacks like our favorite Yoplait flavors and take off to make memories at my favorite spot. It might not be fancy, but it is super tasty and what my kids love!

I have spent plenty of time letting little thoughts of inadequacy creep into my head over the years.  And I’m afraid that before I know it, my kids will leave my nest and I’ll wish I had spent that time being more present with them, not worrying about what everyone else is thinking. 

Have you felt the mom guilt creep in?  How do you Mom On?