“I was wary of you at first. I was sure we’d scare you off. And part of me wanted to—single parenthood had made my list of requirements pretty tough. But you won me over with ‘bring him too.’ You never ever had to be, and that’s what makes me extra thankful you’re ours.”
‘You didn’t hear the words ‘it’s a boy.’ You didn’t claim your title like most. But you’re tied to that child by something much stronger than blood.’: Mom says ‘you’re more than a step or bonus dad’
‘There are storms, but each night he hurries to ask, ‘Mom, will you sleep with me first?’ I give him a squeeze and a kiss, and ask God to comfort us both.’: Mom says ‘I am his security blanket, his calm after the storm’
“Each night, he fits his a-little-bit-bigger body into that same curve of my arm, just like he did years ago. I hear the same breath and feel the same warmth on my skin. And I can tell at this rate we’re going, he and I won’t ever get enough time.”
‘Will I ever be good enough for this job? I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders. Some days, I fantisize about running away.’: Mom shares candid reality of motherhood, ‘You will conquer today just like every other’
“I doubt the decisions I make for my family. I spend another day cleaning the house, just to watch it be destroyed in 5 minutes. Some days, I don’t want to be the responsible one. I fantasize about running away. And still, my kids are the best thing to ever happen to me.”
‘We take the backseat. Our job never ends. We give every bit of who we are and stare at reflections, searching for a small part of who we once were.’: Mom urges ‘you’re motherf**king superwoman’
“We live repetitive groundhog days. We argue with tiny people who think they know better. We cook meals that aren’t up to their satisfaction, and bend over backwards until we collapse. We may not get ‘paid’ for our job, but it’s 24/7. Our lives consist of putting everyone else first.”
‘Vague bickering. Brace yourself, it starts. ‘I’m telling mommy!’ They stampede like elephants, each screaming over the other.’: Mom talks sibling rivalry, ‘Remember they really do love each other’
“‘Guys, guys, guys…GUYS! Just stop for one moment!!!! Please for the love of all that is holyyyy…’ By this point, my Fight and Flight responses are in overdrive. I’m honestly instinctually ready to flee the home or drop kick one of them (neither of which I can rationally do).”
‘Cookies are not breakfast!’ They’re all crying. One fights me for 10 minutes to allow me the pleasure of wiping poop off his arse.’: Dad hilariously says ‘I’ve had a huge slice of humble pie’ after first ‘paternity leave’
“I hide for a bit. They find me like they’re sniffer dogs and I’m selling pills at a festival. I clear up the crafts, wishing whoever created slime a slow, gruesome death. They’re all crying now. They scream, ‘Daddy we’re bored of this film!’ repeatedly and very loudly.”
‘I’ve watched my dad’s eyes glaze over as he called forth a lifetime of memories that didn’t require a photo to enjoy.’: Woman warns, ‘don’t miss the magic of the moment’
“The truth is, not all of the stories were wholesome or kind. They weren’t all politically correct or even decent but they were real.”
‘Where did this come from?’ My mom will stop at nothing to get ‘the mom bag’ to me.’: Woman says ‘no pandemic can silence a mother’s love’
“I glanced in the backseat and saw a grocery bag on the floor that hadn’t been there before. There’s never anything in ‘the mom bag’ that would look valuable to an outsider. But I know its worth. It speaks of mothering that does not end.”
‘My 5-year-old turned to me, suddenly serious. ‘You shouldn’t eat too much, Mom. Or you get fat like Christy and Tammy.’ I felt tears tickling my eyes.’: Mom urges ‘all bodies are valid’
“We sat down to watch another episode of Scooby-Doo. My daughter laughed as Scooby and Shaggy devoured a pile of hamburgers. ‘They ate too much!’ she giggled. Then she got serious. I felt tears tickling my eyes. Christy and Tammy are two of my friends. This is the curse that has been placed on me, on so many of us.”
‘I watched my husband come alive under the appreciation of another woman. Somewhere between the dirty laundry and dishes, I stopped laughing at his jokes.’: Woman says ‘your husband is funny, don’t forget to notice’
“When I was 22, he was the funniest man on earth. My cheeks hurt every time I was with him. Now, between the dirty laundry and pile of dishes, I could sprain my neck from how hard I roll my eyes in his direction. Every joke my husband tossed she caught with enthusiasm. He looked alive. His eyes were wide and his mouth was in a permanent grin.”
