The "Perfect" Mom

I think a lot of women enter into parenthood with expectations of being "supermom". We hear warnings from our friends and family that we can't do it all, that some things will have to be sacrificed, but I think deep down we all think "nah, not me, I'll be able to manage".

I don't know if it's a pride thing, or a fear thing, but once we enter into parenthood, become a mom, have a little person in our care, all of a sudden we feel like we need to put on appearances that all is ok. Because after all, if everything wasn't ok, would we really be good moms? I mean, do I really want anyone to know that there are dishes piled up in my sink right now? That occasionally I have a "blue" day? That I'm often stressing about whether my baby is meeting his developmental milestones? That some days, despite all my efforts to eat healthy and/or organic, we end up eating KD for dinner? There just seems to be this gap between what I aspire to be and what actually takes shape in reality. And there's this nagging fear that if I don't measure up, somehow my son will miss out. And if I share these thoughts with others, then am I failing at appearing to be all together?

I think sometimes we look at things backwards....Does my son care that he's a little slow with his gross motor development? Probably not. Does my husband mind eating KD now and then? Really, if I think about it, it's one of his favorite things to eat. Am I a bad mom when my house is messy? It depends on what is being slotted into the time that could be used to clean. If I spend all that time investing in my son, playing with him, nurturing his growth, then maybe, just maybe I can reconcile the messy house. So I guess the issue isn't am I a perfect mom; because nobody's perfect. I guess the issue is being satisfied with my imperfections.