1. All moms are imperfect mommies.
2. An imperfect mommy has finger paint/nail polish/marker/crayon on some surface in her house and probably on most of her clothes.
3. An imperfect mommy must sometimes vacuum the kitchen table before she wipes it down (okay, sometimes, she just vacuums it).
4. An imperfect mommy’s house is never as clean as she wants it. Neither is her car. Her hair. Or really anything.
5. An imperfect mommy will pretend that she didn’t notice the legos she vacuumed up. And under no circumstances will she open the bag to retrieve them.
7. An imperfect mommy accepts her limitations and even laughs at them on occasion.
8. An imperfect mommy sometimes counts down the hours until her children’s bedtime. (And, always counts down the hours until her’s!)
9. An imperfect mommy loves her children dearly.
10. An imperfect mommy may send her child to pre-k/kindergarten in horribly mismatched clothes because her child is so proud to have gotten dressed “all by myself.”
11. An imperfect mommy may pretend that the child peeing in the sandbox is not hers.
12. Imperfect mommies are not bad moms.
13. Imperfect mommies frequently question whether they are doing the “right” thing for their kids. Imperfect moms hope and strive to be “good enough” moms.
so nice to see someone admitting to not being a perfect mom. i just had my first child last year and i have been strugging with post partum depression. most of what has broke my heart is failing to be a perfect mom. i am slowly realizing that as long as my daughter is happy, healthy, safe, and loved, it’s okay if i accidentally put her shoes on the wrong feet for a few minutes. it’s okay if i find myself praying to God that she will take a long nap. thanks for owning up to imperfection and letting mom’s like me know it’s normal and it’s fine.
I had PPD after each of my three kids. Never did I feel like such a failure as I did when I had PPD. Your daughter is “Happy, healthy, safe, and loved”—you are doing fantastic! When my first child was born my house became a disaster overnight and I was lucky if I got a shower before 11 pm. But, he was held, fed, changed, bathed, and loved. And he is a happy kid today (the house is still kind of a disaster, though). And everyone prays for long naps. It sounds like you are doing fine.
There are a bunch of websites devoted to post partum depression, too. I found those really helpful when I was struggling with it.
Jenny
i suck up all the toys with my shop vac and pretend i didnt see them
I LOVE your blog! Its so well done, honest, and I can relate!
Please check me out at http://www.fitfabulousmom.com, where I am constantly struggling to get out of PJ’s and play dress up to make myself feel better!
Thanks for coming to visit! Glad you’re enjoying it. I’ll be sure to come by fitfabulousmom.com.
I have heard so many times recently that I am a bad mom because I let my kids get dirty, sometimes let them eat junk for breakfast… Etc. small things like these that only faith once in a great while. I especially dislike dating griped at by people that don’t even have kids! My children are happy and well and I love them to death. I am a single parent to three boys, I sometimes wish people could do what I do everyday just to try it out. Thanks for your Web site, I love it.
Dana, I think you hit on the three most important things – your kids are healthy, happy and you love them. That is the most we can give our kids. Your right, it is always easier to criticize than to do. Keep loving the kids! Marie
I am so overwhelmed with trying to “do it all”. Thank you for reminding me that I don’t have to.
Sarah, so glad you found us. I have finally figured out that it is better to do some of it really well instead of doing it all wrong
Marie
It’s funny that I stumbled upon your blog today; yesterday I read an article online about how the rhetoric of “women can have it all” is a fallacy. It caused me to reflect upon a post I wrote in my own blog many years ago about how I felt like a complete failure as a mother because I wasn’t perfect, entitled Guilt is a 4 Letter Word. I appreciated the point even though the piece was written by someone to whom I could not relate. YOU, however, present your thoughts in a way I find completely relatable. In conclusion, I wrote “I don’t hide my imperfections…I’ll never be a Mom-god…but if my kid is happy and healthy and well-adjusted I can’t ask for anything else.”
Thanks for writing such a refreshingly honest blog. I have signed up as a subscriber.
Thanks for coming by and for subscribing, wickedwit! Stopped by your site this morning and really enjoyed it. When Jenny and I decided to do the blog, we wanted to tell it like it is and acknowledge what motherhood/parenting is really like. We have been happy to discover that their are many moms about there that feel we have given them a voice. By the way, did you ever live in MA? Cause you sound like you are “wicked pissa”!
— Marie
I love your list of what makes an imperfect mom. I think some of those things are what make a totally perfect mom! When did you start this blog? I started mine two months ago. I have a post where I was struggling with the idea of “perfect mom” and came to realize what was perfect was not at all what I thought. http://oururbanplayground.com/?p=298
Thanks for visiting. I’ll be right over to your blog!
Thanks!
Love this blog! Thanks for keeping me smiling
Why, thank you. Thank you very much.
This made me laugh! First I was feeling defiant and said, “how dare she call me imperfect?” and then as I read the list Im like “yep thats me, yep thats me, yep totally have vacuumed the table, yep-ok ok Im imperfect and PROUD!” HAHA I just started an eco-friendly mom blog about a week ago. It’s a work in progress but I hope to get many followers soon. I guess you could say its the eco-friendly blog for the “imperfect” mom!