Sometimes, motherhood can be glorified beyond recognition. We have the ability to layer varnish upon varnish atop the weathered and withered reality that being a mother is. I think that's where the super mum phenomenon was born and bred...we've added a large dose of misconception to the mixture and slathered it on thick. I am guilty of glossing my mum-life up, as most (especially bloggers and mothers in the public eye) are. I've written about the effect super-mum syndrome has had on my life before, and still have internal struggles to this day.
A part of me feels very passionate about stamping that super-mum phenomenon to the ground, creating protest against it, making movements to object it and encouraging others to reject it. But, I also know that a significant part of me is still clutched tightly by this deceptive syndrome. Baby steps are key, baby.
What dawned on me most recently, was our hesitation to tell it like it is. I've also learnt along my journey of Motherhood that 'telling it like it is' is a significant coping mechanism for me. I'm not sure if it's the honesty, the 'realness' or the acceptance that reassures me most. I also LOVE hearing other mamas keeping it real, I am very blessed to have a beautiful circle of friends who are mothers. We are all very close, very honest and very supportive of each other and adore sharing the imperfect truths together.
So in the spirit of 'anti super mum', I am going to share with you my imperfect truths of the week, shed light on my imperfections and perfect normality and accept them wholly. Do you want to join the movement? Let's make a protest together; for each other!
Truth #1: I no longer fold my laundry. That's right, drop your jaw. With at least one load of washing a day (which usually accumulates until Monday) I have far too much washing to fold and put away. The girls are forever making food messes, paint messes and I am forever making cooking messes. So, my new tactic in order to get that basket empty is to just open and shove. Open the drawer, shove it in, close the drawer and walk away.
Truth #2: I was busy feeding Isla her mashed veg at lunch one day last week when Stella decided she couldn't wait a second longer for her lunch. So, (with my verbal guidance) she went to the fridge, got out the jug of noodles and sat herself up on the couch eating cold noodles from a 500ml jug with her fingers. They both ate, they both smiled. Winning all around if you ask me!
Truth #3: I take my phone with me to the toilet, so if I am lucky enough to have little faces leave me alone for one minute I can sneak in some mindless Instagramming.
Truth #4: Nick treated himself to a box of Coco Pops and offered them to Stella one morning instead of her usual Weetbix. Of course, she loved them, inhaling every last chocolatey rice puff and then drinking the sweet milk. "Mummy, I LOVE Popo Cocks!" she proudly proclaimed. I didn't correct her and I didn't lecture Nick on nutrition because; Popo Cocks sounds cute (for now) and the smiles from them both at the dining table were worth it.
Truth #5: From 9am to 4:30pm yesterday, a 30 minute Fairies DVD played on repeat. That's fifteen times I agreed to "One more time mama?". Obviously a big chunk of this time was spent inattentive to The Fairies. But still, a significant amount of time was spent dancing and singing about Barnaby the Busy Busy Bee.
What imperfect truths have you got to share this week? Join me in the movement and tell me yours, or hashtag your imperfect but wonderful mothering moments on Istagram (#imperfecttruths). Baby steps to stamping down that super-mum, baby steps!
Plenty of love,
I love and appreciate this idea!
ReplyDeleteI cannot remember the last time I ironed something that wasn't needed that day.
I quite often leave dishes over night because I hate doing them.
If I am sneaking a spoonful of nutella, I am sharing it with Isabelle too!!! Ha!!
On your recommendation, I have been exploring Elena's Pantry recipes and we are loving them!
Natalie x
I sneakily ate some of the children's leftover Easter eggs while they were at school.
ReplyDeleteLast week they asked for dessert and I told them "No, we don't have dessert apart from Fridays, remember?" and then ate ice cream, topping and sprinkles once they were in bed. My excuse is that I'm pregnant with cravings and also that I didn't want them to have sugar so close to bed...but an imperfect truth is that there wasn't enough ice cream left to go around and I wanted it!
I think its called denial Nat, and society has been doing it since time began.
ReplyDeleteWomen don't share the nasty bits of labour, parents don't share the undesirable bits about parenting, couples don't share the messy bits of their relationships...... ideally when you have something in life that other people also want, people tend to leave out the bad bits, or worse, lie and say everything is rosy.
Everything can't be rosy ALL of the time. Right?
I think it is really healthy to talk about the imperfect side of life.
Once you start ...others feel happier to join in.