It’s true, being a mom is hard as hell – exhausting, frustrating, disorienting. But it’s so much more than that. For example, it also provides a stream of neverending and unsolicited judgment! That’s right: Motherhood isn’t just a new life challenge; it opens you up to a whole new world of expectations and demands from the people around you as well!
People generally know that being a mom is hard, what with the demands of children and being on the clock 24/7. But they don’t always appreciate the flip side of that – which is the pure bliss of having everyone judge exactly how well you’re catering to those demands, even if they have no idea what motherhood is like. That’s one of the hidden joys of having kids!
Plus, there’s a lot of shit you need to buy when you become a parent – carriers, strollers, breast pumps – you name it. But the good news is, people will also be annoyed at you for taking up space with those things or using them in their presence. These are the smaller things you learn to love and appreciate about being a new mom.
And sure, babies are hard to bring anywhere, especially when they cry on airplanes and there’s no escape. Thankfully your fellow passengers will only think about how this is affecting them, while they snort judgments at you for having a kid who is acting like a kid. See, it’s things like that that make it all seem worth it.
But let’s be honest: Kids destroy your body and spit up on everything you own. Thankfully people will constantly ask you invasive things about all of this, like whether you’re breastfeeding and what you’re doing to do lose the baby weight. That’s a nice distraction from the daily grind and a good reminder of why you did this all in the first place.
All mothers can relate to the fact that it’s impossible to figure out a nap schedule! Luckily, in the brief moments of respite when you actually manage to put them down to sleep, you’ll have people questioning when and how you’ve sleep-trained your baby, or bristling when you ask them to be quiet during a nap because your child “should learn to sleep through the noise.” It’s really beautiful to see people find the hubris let you know exactly how they would parent your child!
Being a mom is so hard, but nothing is more rewarding than the unsolicited feedback you’ll get in every waking moment of your life. I’m sure you’ll do great!
