Saturday, July 27, 2013

Motherhood



How hard motherhood is for me? Women have been doing this forever. Literally. And I have the advantages of disposable diapers, sippy cups, 7-11 and equal rights.

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I thought having a baby would be like having a pet - oh, this will be cute. We'll be this little family...

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I am constantly questioning my decisions.  It's hard. I have a great education. I have a great job. If I stay home with my child, I feel like, "Is this all there is?" and if I work, I feel consumed with guilt. So I end up feeling trapped, like I can't win.
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I want to talk about the good and bad sides of motherhood.  Because if I can talk honestly, perhaps I can lose the notion that I can and should do it all. And if I can lose that notion, then perhaps I can get a grip on my "insane expectations". And if I can get a grip on my insane expectations, perhaps I can stop judging myself and other moms, learn to say no when I need to, embrace my daily life, nurture myself and my husband and maybe, just maybe, relax and find peace. The ideal is to be true to myself, to make conscious choices based on my own value systems (and not others' expectations of me), and to live my life in ways that serve my own interests and those of my family. Only then can I begin to love motherhood as much as I love my son.

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excerpt from I was a Good Mom Before I had Kids

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