Its A Hard Knock Life...for Mommies

I was pondering at the idea of how the world views mothers and how we view them ourselves. Imagine in your head what a mother looks like. I have three images, one my own mother, another a ideal 50's housewife/mother and then the modern Mom. In my own mind, at least what I think...I interestingly am a mix of all three of them.

My Mom is a super Mom. Seriously, I have no idea how my Mom did so much for my sister and I when we were little. She was the type of Mom that worked part time for spending money, took us to lessons, drove us to school when we were younger (if we wanted), had dinner on the table at 5, her house was usually always clean (with no help) and she decorated for almost every holiday. She rocks. I also knew and I am sure my sister knew, that in her book we were number one. No job, no person and no thing was more important then we were. While I am not everything my Mom was (though I try like hell), I do put my son first above anything. I take him to school each day, race home from work to be with him, make sure he has something at least nutritious on his plate for dinner and decorate when I remember and if there is enough time for holidays because thats just fun for a kid. Now is my house immaculate? Heck no. It is sanitary though. There are toys that need to be put away, laundry that needs to folded and dust settling on our bookshelves. I just work full time and other then my husband I have no help. However, I think I took the most important lesson from her...that my kid matters most in the world and everything else is very very very secondary.

I am not much like a 50's housewife, but I like baking, doing sweet things for my husband, and manage the schedule of everything for the household and the people in it quite nicely. I don't wear dresses. I don't stay at home all day. I wear make up sometimes, but its more for me then to make my husband think I'm hot. I am also work as a team with my husband...its not all on me. However, I do think the image of the 50's housewife gives most of us a relaxed feeling of motherhood because it looked so easy. Haha.

Then there is the modern Mom. When I imagine her, I imagine a woman with a messy pulled up pony tail to be fixed at a later time, wearing a business suit, juggling five hundred things at once and some how finding time for herself. I am most of these. My hair is usually needing to be fixed...even if it just was. I don't really own a business suit and am in no way chic. I do juggle about a million things during the day and I do try to find time for myself every so often. I know some modern Moms that go to the gym every day. I honestly don't have time for that. I also don't go to salons as much as I should or would like. Pedicures for me are a treat, not an upkeep thing for me. If I had extra money I generally don't spend it on me as the order for things we need is kid, house, husband and then me. Its not that anyone set that precedence...its just the way it is and I am fine with that.

Being a Mom is the most wonderful thing in the world. I couldn't be any happier about it. I love seeing my son's smiling face and watching my husband play with him. As a Mom I try to do it all and try to be those Moms I imagine in my head. I try to juggle, plan, organize, bake, clean, cook, and play. I want to be everything that I dreamed of for my son. He deserves everything good in life because our babies are the only little miracles most of us will ever be apart of and they are AMAZING. Being a Mom is hard. Its hard as hell. I wouldn't trade it for anything.