We keep beating ourselves up about not doing enough.
Women are always viewed as the experts at multi-tasking. We should be able to spend our days doting over our children while folding laundry, cooking dinner, and preparing for that big presentation at the end of the week. Meanwhile we are supposed to stay sane while performing this balancing act. In fact, it has been found that multi-tasking is not even an efficient use of time and that it’s hard for the brain to switch back and forth between tasks. If that is the case, why do we always pressure ourselves to get so much work done in such a short amount of time?
Society expectations.
We should not succumb to these pressures. We need to be ok with letting things go and accepting that imperfections in life are inevitable. If the laundry is not folded or if you need to put in that extra time to finish a project at work, we need to learn how to adapt to the situation and be ok with it. Letting go of other people’s expectations of what moms should and should not be doing is the first step to overcoming mom guilt.
I often times find that whenever you get comments or judgmental looks from others, that it’s actually more about them than you. A lot of times it is those people who are going through stress and need to make themselves feel better by offloading their own stress onto somebody else. The unfortunate cycle of making people feel bad when you feel bad so you feel less bad is more common than not. We are all guilty of it. So lets break that cycle together. Lets exercise empathy towards our fellow moms, learn to let go of the idea of perfection, and be grateful for the gifts and happiness we do have in life. Focus on what REALLY matters… spending time and loving your family.
Mom guilt is not one of those things we can overcome instantly. We love our babies with all our hearts so of course want to do everything in our power to help them. In the end, as long as we show our children the love and support they need, having a few takeout meals and unfolded laundry around the house won’t hurt anyone.
Lets support one another. Lets work together by showing understanding to other moms and let them know that they are doing an amazing job. All their efforts are being noticed and their family loves them. Maybe after this, mom guilt will be the thing of the past.