Dear mom.

You walk around the park, two little ones in the double stroller and a newborn strapped on your chest. The thought of making a mommy friend at the park crosses your mind but then you stop and think, “nah, not today. ” Most days you barely get by with your amount of energy and when asked by your spouse how your day went, you shrug your shoulders.

Dear mom.

All you’re asking for is help. You want someone to understand you, someone to reach out a hand and let you know they have your back when you’ll fall down because you know the falls happen. I know the loneliness of going through everyday, the frustrations of feeling alone, and the empty feeling of “no one understands me”. Please, I understand when you want to voice, “I can’t do this anymore” but you muster everything inside of you to put on that beautiful smile.

Dear mom.

I know your exhaustion, the strength it takes to walk straight and keep your body from drowning out of sleep deprivation. I get it. The sleepless nights, the 3am toddler cries, and the 11pm rocking a baby to sleep (when you fall asleep first). I get it all.

Dear mom.

Please don’t hide your embarrassment because your child just threw his 10,000th tantrum in the grocery store today. I go through that too. I bet you’re trying real hard to just smile and walk right on. You don’t have to fake it. We’ve all been there too. Oh and you don’t have to apologize to me for your child. It’s normal. Toddlers are jekyll hydes.

Dear mom.

You don’t have to fake it all and put on a smile to make everyone believe you are totally fine. It’s okay to cry. In fact, I like to see others with tear strained cheeks because it makes me feel better about not being a perfect mommy.

Dear mom.

You don’t have to explain to me your reason for coffee number five before noon. I get it. I’ve been there too and heck, I’ll drink coffee number six with you! We’re in this together and somedays the emotional rollercoaster feels a lot bumpier than usual.

Dear mom.

You don’t have to lie to me and say you never yell or raise your voice. It’s hard. Raising kids is hard and it’s even harder to stay cool 24/7. I know the struggle and trying to stay sane every second of every day but sometimes…just sometimes the wrong tone slips.

Dear mom.

Today was rough for me too. I finally showered at 2pm and had two littles crying while I briefly snuck away. Also, I didn’t get a chance to fix my hair or put anything else on but a pair of sweats–AGAIN! I miss dressing up too so don’t feel guilty for missing that part of your life.

Dear mom.

Oh yes, the mom wars and the mom judging is for real. Like who the heck even has time for that? I’m over here trying to remember when I washed my hair last and I don’t give a crap about you giving me crap for doing the whole disposable diaper thing. Heck, kudos to you and all the more power, but I’m okay with my decision.

Dear mom.

I know you have great intentions on starting your day early and even getting a workout in. And then baby wakes up and forget it. All of your attention is on baby now and the other children and your time is once again put on the back burner. You don’t have to pretend that it’s okay. It’s freaking frustrating. I GET IT!!

Dear mom.

It’s 3am. Baby is awake again. I know you want to cry and even scream but instead, being the brave and good mommy that you are, you go in and cuddle again for the tenth thousand night in a row. I wish I could tell you this ends but I don’t even know.

Dear mom.

It took an hour to load the car, feed babies, change diapers, strap them in car seats, pack snacks (because gosh, your outing would be ruined without those) and put shoes on just for a trip to the grocery store. And now you’re exhausted. Grab a Starbucks please, woulda?

Dear mom. 

I know you tend to live by a todo list and trying to max out the time you have throughout a day to get things done. STOP. I do this too. I think of all the things I can get done and actually forget to spend time with my littles just playing and building towers and knocking them over 10,000 times. Forget the todo list. Enjoy now. 

Dear mom. 

You struggle finding time for you, because heck, you can’t even pee alone. Motherhood is not a solo journey. Get used to the little feet following you everywhere and little heads peeking through the bathroom door. They never leave you. 

Dear mom. 

Hang tight. You’re doing awesome. Tiny human beings think you’re the bomb dot com. And whenever you feel discouraged, remember you created tiny people and you are their center of their universe, so shut up, you’re kind of a really big deal.