I’m Not the Best Mom

A couple of days ago I had what some might call an “off day.” I’d call it a total cluster of insanity! I was throwing together sandwiches and snacks for the kids to eat in the car on the way to soccer practice, I was on the phone with my editor who needed a project done four days earlier than anticipated, the dog was running around the house with a treasured stuffed animal in his mouth and I was on the brink of a breakdown.

I admit it. There was yelling. By more than one of us.

We got to soccer practice and once my kid was out on the field and my other kid was parked on a picnic blanket eating his snack dinner, I laid back and closed my eyes. The sun was shining on my face, the air smelled like freshly cut grass and for one minute, I felt calm.

I looked up and saw another mom across the park wrangling several small children while pushing another in a stroller. She looked as frazzled as I felt, and for a moment, I caught her eye. I raised my hand in a wave, and gave her the biggest smile I could muster. She waved back. And for a short moment, I felt less alone.

You see, I’m surrounded by supermoms. Women who always seem to have their stuff together, with clean kids and organic meals. Moms who have color coded Google calendars and regular date nights. I am not a supermom. I am a basic mom.

But the further I get into this mothering gig, the more I realize, NOBODY is a supermom. Those moms with the organic meals might give their kids 30 extra minutes of screen time so they can catch up on Instagram. The moms who use their most gentle voices today at the grocery store might not be so calm when they find a Barbie Doll clogging up their toilet.

We are human. We are flawed. We will never get it all right. And as a mother, that can be a hard pill to swallow, because we want to be perfect for our kids. We want them to have the best of everything, and that includes the very best mother in the world.

The truth is, I am not the best mother. I mess up ALL THE TIME. But I am doing MY best. My best isn’t perfect, or anywhere close. My best is messy and loud and often not worthy of Pinterest. But it’s good enough. My kids don’t need to have the best mom. They just need me.