(Inspired by The Sometimes Mom by One Mother to Another )
Sometimes I send the kids off to school with a kiss, smile and a wave.
Sometimes my “Hurry! We’re late!” warnings are so loud they startle the kids at the bus stop outside.
Sometimes I pack my kids lunches worthy of being Instagrammed.
Sometimes I completely forget to feed my kids lunch at all.
Sometimes I volunteer to chaperone field trips and pack the snack bags for the class.
Sometimes I pretend I never got the email requesting volunteers.
Sometimes after school we have play-dates, bake or make crafts.
Sometimes our only after-school activity is walking from the TV to the computer.
Sometimes while shopping we explore the scents & textures of the fruits in the produce section.
Sometimes both kids lose their TV privileges before we make it to the cereal aisle.
Sometimes we bring Uno to restaurants and play cards and chat while we wait for our food.
Sometimes I hand out iPads before we place our orders so that I can stare out the window or at my phone.
Sometimes we have leisurely reading sessions at bedtime that meander into deep discussions about the kids’ lives.
Sometimes we miss out on reading time because I got distracted on Facebook and lost track of time.
Sometimes ‘goodnights’ are filled with extra cuddles and kisses, even for the stuffed animals.
Sometimes they end with raised voices, threats and feelings of regret after the kids are asleep and it’s too late to say, “I’m sorry.”
Sometimes moms judge each other based on something they saw one time.
Most of the time, the rest goes unseen.
Every time, moms are doing the best they can in that moment.
Sometimes we do better than others.
Next time we’ll do better than last time…
Sometimes.
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**Important note about this piece** I don’t know whether to be embarrassed, laugh or chalk one up to mommy brain (or all of the above.) Please read this wonderful piece by Melissa at One Mother to Another and you’ll see that I obviously read her piece months ago, (like I read all of her posts) and it stuck in my head. It must have popped into my brain the other night while a couple was staring at me and my iPad-holding kids at a restaurant and “inspired” my post. I would never borrow from someone’s concept on purpose and I apologize for doing so on accident
I was going to delete my post when I realized it, but instead decided to use it as a vehicle to direct people to Melissa’s original post. Melissa is a dear friend and I loved her post then and want to share it again now.
If you liked this, you might enjoy:
“Shut the F*ck Up” – A Poem for clueless parents who don’t realize that their kids listen to them more than they think.
“The Cost of Doing Friendship” – In this day and age of frivolous lawsuits, you can never be too careful about being sued over things like your kid’s excessive snacking at a friend’s house.
“Thank You but no Thank You” – I’ve given up on doing Thank You cards for the kids’ birthdays and am using this handy print-out in their place.
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Once upon a time, Susanne Kerns was a Senior Account Director at an advertising agency working for two of the top brands in the world. Nine years ago she traded in her corporate life for a life as a stay at home mom, raising two of the best kids in the world. She started her blog, The Dusty Parachute as a way to dust off her online advertising skills and begin her job search. Instead, she now uses it as a way to spend lots of time on the computer so her kids think that mommy has a job.
Susanne’s essays have been featured in Scary Mommy, BonBon Break and Redbook and she is also a contributor in the upcoming books, It’s Really 10 Months, Special Delivery and Martinis & Motherhood: Tales of Wonder, Woe & WTF?! You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Be sure to follow me on Facebook & Twitter and check out my 'Photos' tab for a sample of my Instagram feed. It's where I post my tasteful nudes (made you look!);)
xo - Susanne
- Come Check Out My New Place! SusanneKerns.com - May 23, 2017
- Don’t Miss “Touch a Truck” Austin! - May 11, 2017
- The Priceless Benefits of Having a Pen Pal - May 7, 2017
One of my girls ran into school without even saying a word to me, she was so mad. It’s a terrible way for both of us to start out days. But I know she’ll come out with a smile and a hug at the end of the day. Loved this. 🙂
We all have ‘those days’ – it has been wonderful seeing all the responses confirming it though. 🙂
“Sometimes moms judge each other based on something they saw one time.
Most of the time, the rest goes unseen.”
This is so true, and so encouraging! We need to give ourselves permission to be imperfect . . . and you know, I suspect our kids will like living with us a bit more when we stop feeling the pressure to always do everything “right.” Who wants perfect parents?! 🙂
Yep, that sums up parenting, at least around here.
I’m definitely getting the feeling I’m not alone on this one. 😉
Love this. Such a good reminder that NO ONE is nailing it all of the time. I feel like if I can hold it together most of the time, we’re winning!
It’s part of being human. I could do a counterpart piece about kids being ‘good’ kids *sometimes*. 🙂
Are you that fly that’s been on my wall? lol
(Visiting from Sassypiehole’s FB thread)
So glad to hear that I’m not the only one. 🙂
Thanks for dropping by – I’m heading over to visit pages on her thread now after I figure out why my site keeps crashing. 🙂
Yes. Thank you!
Hi Anita – Thanks so much for commenting and for sharing! Now I’m just wondering what you’re doing up so early. My guess is it has something about being a great mom. 😉
I love this and you are right, we try to do our best, but sometimes it just is what it is.