Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I consider myself an experienced mother now that I have three small children. I don’t freak out when they get sick, I manage to get them to eat a healthy and varied diet, and I’m almost finished with the sleep issues (although Ellie is recently making another valiant effort at trying to cripple me with her recent 1 to 2 hour-long, no-reason, wakeups at 2am — I will prevail!!)
So why do I feel like I am a bad mom? It’s all about that mommy guilt and I am a huge sufferer of it. I actually do feel that I have several weaknesses that don’t parlay into being a great mothering figure.
First of all, I never really was a baby person so the three plus years of intense baby time that I have experienced has been a complete drudgery to me with the occasional glimpses of humor (like when I had three diapered children screaming bloody hell at the same time because of runny poo all over their legs and I was only able to change one at a time while the other two ran around contaminating everything in the room).
Ok, there is one caveat about babies. Breastfeeding was truly a special experience and one that still gives me warm fuzzies when I remember it.
Second, I’m selfish. I miss the days of doing whatever I wanted. Going out to restaurants and movies, meeting friends at bars, having a career, sitting around and reading a great book, and just tending to my own needs. This causes me to now seek alone time whenever I can. When the twins go down for a nap, I feel a strong desire to get on the computer and browse my favorite sites even though I still have my oldest, Will, clamoring for attention from me. It is so hard for me to muster up some creative energy for him and that is something I really want to change.
Third, I find there are more stresses and unpleasantness than there are joys right now. I see moms around me and I know moms who say “Oh, I love being a mom!”. I certainly DON’T love it. I do find special moments when my heart swells with love and gratefulness for my children, but right now I have to say that the pendulum is swinging to the “Not Fun” side of motherhood. I keep getting reassured that this will change as they get older.
Finally, let me say I adore my kids and I am fiercely protective of them. I wouldn’t change my decision to have them but I worry that my issues make me a less than perfect mom. I strive to improve these weaknesses day by day. Is there anyone else out there that has similar feelings? Please share and make me feel less like a failing mom!