Hello, good morning. I just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know that I think you’re doing an ace job of raising your people today. I do, really. I think you’re a great mum. Would you like to know why?
1. Your kids are in the care of an adult who is awesome and responsible right now. Maybe it’s yourself, maybe it’s someone else. Either way, snaps to you.
2. You are reading a parenting website because parenting is something you care about. And that makes you a pretty awesome parent. I don’t’ think NOT reading parenting websites makes you a bad parent FYI (just wanted to clear that up).
3. You fed your kids today, and you probably fed them well. You took care at some point to decide what they’ll be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the in-betweens. You might have fed them cereal for breakfast last night, but it was darn good cereal and it was served with love.
4. You think about them first all the time. Last month I won a trip to Munich (seriously, I did!) and the first thing I thought about was my kids, how, when, what? You know the drill. I had one of the most exciting things ever happen to me and I thought of them before anything else. And you totally get that because you do it too.
5. Your kids are wearing clothes. Ok, maybe they’re not (mine aren’t) but they have clothes and shoes and hats and swimmers and more toys than they need. They are provided for and this is no easy task. It takes sacrifice, and forethought, and the desire to manage someone else’s life, and a whole bloody lot of sorting drawers, washing, buying and ironing (ha! jokes) to manage that shit.
6. You have been making serious life decisions that consider their needs since before they even existed. Yup, your job, your home, your partner, your goals; in each case when you made decisions, you considered your kids.Those glorious little people of yours.
7. You are taking a quick moment for yourself right now, hopefully having a cuppa, hopefully taking a deep breath or two. You’re filling your tank and your kids need a sane mum way more than they need a whole lot of other stuff. So snaps, baby.
So please accept this virtual bunch of flowers from me, it’s not an easy job but you’re doing it, and you’re doing it well. Keep going.
More ways to love the mum gig:
- A Mother’s Love is Unconditional (Or, the Biggest Lie I Was Ever Told)
- 40 Amazing Quotes on Parenthood
- 21 Truths About Motherhood That Every Mum Knows
Image: Barbara O’Reilly