#MomLife: Struggle Bus

#MomLife

Any views or opinions expressed in “#MomLife” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Watershed Voice staff or its board of directors.

I’ve boarded the struggle bus and I can’t seem to find my stop. To say this quarantine has been a struggle would be an understatement. I’m struggling, my kids and husband are struggling, even the dog is struggling. 

How are you doing? 

I’m struggling with what to say to my children regarding the current status of our lives. How does one explain to a nine-year-old that he can’t see his grandma in-person on her birthday? How do we keep them occupied throughout the day? How do I deal with my new role as Homeschool teacher? 

I wish I knew the answers to these questions. We’re on day 20 something of quarantine and I’m still sitting on the struggle bus.

Why do we moms do this to ourselves? Why do we try to be the perfect Pinterest mom when we are all struggling in our own ways? How can we put a stop to the struggle? 

Steph Hightree, #MomLife

We explained to my son that we would see Grandma soon, he wasn’t happy, but he eventually became OK with it, we’ve been trying our best to keep occupied even though I hear “I’m bored” at least 50 times a day, and my new role as Homeschool teacher, well, that’s a whole different level of struggling that maybe I’ll dive into in a future column. 

I don’t know how long we will be on this bus, but I do know this quarantine is teaching me to slow down. It’s teaching me it’s OK to stay home and not overcommit myself. It’s also teaching me I have been overly critical of myself and my ability to be a mother throughout the years.  

Why do we moms do this to ourselves? Why do we try to be the perfect Pinterest mom when we are all struggling in our own ways? How can we put a stop to the struggle? 

I think it’s time we realize there is no such thing as a perfect mom. We will all make mistakes. We will all let our children spend way too much time on electronics. We will all struggle to be teachers during this unprecedented time.

And that’s OK. 

It’s OK to ride the struggle bus at times. But maybe it’s time I jump off that bus, pull up my PJ pants, because let’s be real, that’s all I’ve worn in the last month, and start walking down a new path of motherhood. The path that leads me to being the best mom I can be today instead of the perfect mom. 

I’ll still ride that struggle bus at times but I just hope my stop comes sooner, rather than later. 

Steph Hightree is a hot mess mom who is fueled by stress and too much caffeine. She is a Three Rivers native who talks about the good, the bad, and well, everything else about parenthood.