The Middle Mom

I was reading something recently and it asked.... What kind of mother are you? It got me thinking.

There are mothers out there that seem to handle all tough situations with such poise. They never seem to get flustered and I was convinced that they had some kind of magic fairy dust that they sprinkled over their children so that they listen after being told once. You never see them raise a voice or look like they have been defeated by their kids. They never ask for help or advice.Spank is the worst S word in their home. It seems they are the perfect mom. They don't ever look sloppy wearing sweats or  look as if they haven't showered in days. They don't overdress either. They have the casual mom attire down pat, consider them the stepford mother. Always looking refreshed and ready to tackle to day. I am not this kind of mother.

There are mothers out there that scream at their children in public to a point that it makes you feel awful for their kids. They spank in public. They watch their children dump the bag of popcorn on the floor at Target and walk away pretending that they didn't see anything while they yell to their kids "I am so sick of you I am about to just leave ya'll here. Oh ill give you something to cry about! Stay in the damn cart, I am about to beat you!!" Actually saw that one at Target recently.It is the short version of what Kaelyn and I witnessed but I will spare you all the details. This mom in particular had cracks of all kinds showing. Cleavage crack, butt crack you name it. Heck, maybe she was on crack I don't know. She really could have used some of the magic fairy dust that the perfect moms use. Thankfully I am not this kind of mother either.

Then there's the rest of us. I call us the Middle Moms.

I am a middle mom. I don't always have a chance to shower before going into public. Sometimes I wear yoga pants which I must say, are not sweats. Close though. I may not be able to get my child to behave perfectly all the time. I have somewhat of a foul mouth at times and even though I do my best to not say things in front of my daughter words have slipped out. Has she repeated some of them before? Yes. Did I laugh even though I know I shouldn't? Yes. I mean how can you not laugh when your two year old has skid marks in her big girl panties and you say "Oh Kaelyn you pooped in your Minnie's." And in her best two year old angelic voice she replies with "Oh no Mama, I shit in my Minnie's!!" I know it's not right but it was hysterical. I don't have magic fairy dust and I don't want it. I like being a middle mom. I like that I am not perfect and that I make mistakes when raising my child. By that I mean - giving them sweet baby food for the first time they eat solids rather than vegetables kind of mistakes. Not letting them ride with no seat belt on. Just had to clarify that one so nobody would call CPS on me. Some days I am on top of all things mom related. Others not so much. I have skipped bath time before when I know she really needed one so she could go to bed a little earlier and I could have some quiet time and a glass of wine. You know what THATS OK!

Actually I really don't think those perfect moms even exist. They may seem to have it all together on the surface but I bet they lock themselves in a closet every so often when they have hit the breaking point. They just do it when others aren't around. After all, imperfections in the perfect parent can't have any witnesses. Rule #1 for the seemingly perfect mom. Shoot maybe the magic fairy dust they sprinkle on their kids has multiple uses, I don't know. I know that some kids are just easier than others. I get that, but what fun would life be if you didn't have some imperfections in it?

Parenting is one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced. It's not a challenge in the sense that I am scared of it. I am lucky to be able to have children and am so incredibly grateful to face such challenges. I must tell Kaelyn that I love her a million times a day. Ok, so maybe not a million but I tell her constantly and if I could get it out a million times a day, every day, I would. I like that I learn so much each day from being a parent. I learn some things from my own kid, from experience and from my other middle moms. I am not afraid to ask for advice or help when needed and I will gladly do the same in return if asked. You have to just relax, take breath and laugh when they do things like shit in their Minnie's.. Find the humor in the frustrating situations if possible. Sure, you may see the humor after you shed a few tears but I assure you there is some sort of funny in most things related to parenting.