From a Mom to a Mom

To the mom who couldn’t breastfeed because your supply didn’t come in + you were more worried that your child was fed. To the mom who breastfed in a bathroom stall because you were told feeding your child was offensive, even covered in the back corner of the mall. To the mom that is catching looks for your child wearing a Halloween costume while grocery shopping because you are picking your battles on a rough day. To the mom who battles your child to wear perfect outfits because the day you didn’t, someone insinuated you didn’t put in the effort. To the mom with the unfolded laundry because a teething baby consumed so much of your time + energy, you’re surprised it even got washed. To the mom working 40 hours a week to help pay the bills being told you should be there more for your child. To the stay at home mom that uses her bathroom breaks to cry in private because you are overwhelmed, having people say you just sit at home all day. To the mom being told that one child isn’t enough + to the one that’s told four is too many. You are NOT alone + more importantly you are NOT a bad mother. If you follow me on facebook, you know then I am open about my mom struggles. I think it was just last week I was asking my facebook mommas for help to get 4 year old human pee out of a space heater. Behind the jokes, this is a topic I've struggled with myself! I constantly feel like I'm not doing the whole "mom thing" perfectly, that I'm going to kill my child’s creativity by telling them no or that I might turn them into a felon by not correcting every imperfect behavior! #mommyguilt is the WORST guilt! Where is the happy medium? What is the right way to be a GOOD mother? What does it help for someone to tell me I'm less of a mother because I had a c-section instead of a “real birth”?(insert gif of magician sawing lady in half).

*Quick sidebar*

C-sections SUCK

Being sawn in half SUCKS

Not being able to do immediate kangaroo care SUCKS

Not being there to see your baby weighed, measured + first bath, while even strangers might get to see from the glass SUCKS. 26 hours of labor, then an unplanned C-section SUCKS. (I promise I'm only a little bitter) Don't be mean to C-section mommas. We've suffered enough + did what we had to do to get our babies here safely. End of sidebar.

As mothers, we all are going to disagree on what’s right, but if it’s done out of love, with good intentions + leads to happy healthy children, could you really be doing it all wrong?

At our mom shaming shoot, the original idea was to show moms, who were shamed for a variety of reasons. Some, even from different sides of the same topic. What I saw at this shoot was a group of amazing mothers helping chase, entertain, + love on other mothers children while we made our signs + took our pictures. I saw a group of profoundly caring women without judgment, stepping in to fix another queens crown by doing something as simple as making a child smile for a picture or holding a baby while someone else was taking pictures (thank you Angela). It was all fun, all light hearted,+ all an amazing show of supportive mothers. Why can’t we all be like this every day? After all, mommin' ain’t easy! So if you see me at Walmart with Blue the raptor + Pikachu, just whisper a little prayer for me while your grabbing your eggs + cheddar franks for your keto diet for the week because I've lost a battle + possibly my sanity to a couple of four year old's. Maybe, even swing by + give me a quick hunger games salute, to let me know we’re in this together + buggy off into the sunset knowing it’s been a rough day.

So if you see a momma struggling, give her a hand, hug, or high-five passing by! Truth is, we all have our chaotic days, where we have no idea what we are doing. Some are just better in the "fake it till you make it" strategy. I give you a challenge this week. I want you to make a momma smile! Sounds simple, huh? THAT little act of kindness, no matter what it will be, could be the highlight of a mommas day! Lets build each other up instead tearing each other down.

Keep your head up high mommas! You are doing an amazing job!

To these mommas below-THANK YOU for being vulnerable + helping be the highlight of my day!