Morning Mom Mugshot

This summer, during the crazy time of my church’s Vacation Bible School, my dear friend posted on Facebook a sweet bed-head photo of her nine-month-old on the morning of the last day of  VBS week.  The early morning light filtered into her bedroom where they snuggled … she captured his sweet cherub cheeks and his first grin of the day for his Mama.

It was tender.

It was precious.

It was love unfiltered.

It was love disheveled.

It instantly made me remember all those early morning snuggles with my three kids when they were little.

{years ago seems like yesterday}

But it also brought out my snarky side. 

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of myself freshly awoken from a rough night of sleep courtesy of my VBS-exhausted four-year-old and my FAR too busy week.  I snapped it and texted it to my dear friend and now I am sharing it with you:

Here is my question for you: when do sweet faces of early risers turn into morning mom mugshots?

(I’m hoping this is as close to a mugshot as I ever get!)

The kicker is that this is the look I sport most mornings.  It makes me wonder how the woman in the photo greets the day with her children?

Does she snap out of it? Or snap at them?

Does she treat them like the sleep assailants they have been for eleven years?

Does she bring them JOY?

I feel like I can be honest with you.  (Obviously, since I have no shame in sharing my glorious morning mom mugshot!)  Some mornings, I do snap out of it and I am on my game; I decide to practice gratitude so that I can open myself up to my children and increase their joy.  Yet if I am being honest with you and myself – some mornings are a struggle and coffee needs to be a miracle potion of French vanilla goodness!

With all three of my kiddos off to school most mornings, I have decided that no matter how close my reality is to the morning mom mugshot, I need to start their day as a blessing.

NO ONE needs to start their day with a grump for a mom, if you can help it.*

So, besides guzzling coffee, here is what I do:

1- Decide to smile.

2- Pray that I can pull it off and pray for their day, as well.

3- Remember – they didn’t make me stay up. 🙂

4- Turn on my own personal jam and dance while making lunch and prodding them to finish getting ready. (“Personal jams” include – Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, Good Morning by Mandisa, etc.)

5- Be positive so that they don’t leave our home on empty.

6- Bless them by my presence, remembering that mornings are rough for everyone.

YOUR TURN: What do you do in the morning to avoid the morning grump?  Or am I the only one? 😉

*This piece is for the normal day-to-day grumpiness from sleep deprivation and parenting.  If you feel that your grumpiness is more serious, please seek counsel with a therapist that can be your guide.  And remember to be kind to yourself – life is too short already.

(Photos used with permission from my friend; I am crazy for giving permission to use mine.)

BONUS: here is the dialogue with my friend after I texted her my morning mugshot!