Motherhood is Making Me CRAZY!

3.10.11

Motherhood is Making Me CRAZY!

I love being a mommy. The joys of motherhood are different than any other great pleasures in life. But sometimes, motherhood drives me crazy. Going from an independent woman taking care of myself, to caring for a baby is a whirlwind of change and adaptation. Sleeping in has become a thing of the past. Sleeping, in general, is a joyous gift.

I find myself performing a variety of "new mom faux-pas". I'm so tired I can barely focus on anything. I tangle my words quite frequently and can be snippy from time to time. I can't say that I've ever tried to answer a diaper thinking it was a phone or eating baby food because I confused his spoon with mine... but you would be surprised how many mothers this happens to.

I've been lucky so far. Nothing terribly embarrassing or awkward. But I must admit I'm nowhere near as sharp as I use to be. Being a mother is challenging. In more ways that we often think.

The best question to ask here is why is it that it is so wrong for women to complain about their kids? Just because they are my offspring, doesn't make them or ME perfect. I would never do anything horrible to my child, I even stand against spanking in most situations. But if I complain the I'm tired or heaven forbid regret having kids, I'm suddenly a horrible person and an even worse mother. But what's so wrong with wishing you could rewind time and wait another 3 or 5 years before your first child was born? We're not all perfect, and certainly babies do not come with instructions. Just because I want to pull my hair out when the baby screams all night or pulls curtains off the wall, doesn't make me love my children any less.

This is such a strong subject, and I'm not even sure where my personal limits are, but we have to cut moms a break sometimes. We can't all be natural nurturers.

A good word of advice is to nap. All new mothers must be prepared for what's to come. Get your sleep while you can. Whenever you can. And always take help when it's offered. It's a lot easy to find a babysitter for an infant than a 2 year old.