Day 29: Worst Habit

I have a lot of bad habits, I’m human after all.

But, to narrow it down I would have to say my worst habit is having a lot of mom guilt.

One of my biggest struggles is Mom Guilt. All moms have it; do I work too much, is it okay I work outside of the home or inside the home, is okay I let my kid eat organic jellybeans or even organic jellybeans, we only did one craft today, we did five activities today was that too much, the list really can go on and on.

I have friends who work full-time jobs, with kid(s) their house is always clean, organized, they do multiple crafts a day with their kids, and make homemade health dinners every single night. But, I also have friends who are on the opposite end; they are stay-at-home parents; the house is a mess, they eat out all the time, and I don’t think their kids have ever done a craft. Are they bad parents; absolutely not.

Now me on the other hand, I’ll feel guilty no matter what I do. Do I work too much? Was homeschooling and working from home the best option during the pandemic? Was eating Dino Nuggets the second time this week, okay to do? Was the fourth KIND bar for a snack too much sugar? We don’t do our Kiwi Crates — when they are delivered — we let them sit in the box and do them all at once; is that an overload of information? Zoie has way more than an hour of screen time in a day.

Those are all things that I would tell another parent; You had to do what you had to do during this pandemic, there wasn’t a guide book, at least your kids eating food, KIND bars are better than spoonfuls of sugar, as long as you eventually do the Kiwi Crates who cares! If you don’t sell the Kiwi Crates on Mercari or Facebook Market Place. And screen time is fine, especially when you’re trapped inside!

Do I ever take my advice? No, I make myself feel guilty. And I let others make me feel bad about it. If you’ve read Day 17, you’ll know my long-term goal is to Step away from those who do not celebrate my wins. I need to make an addition of kicking the habit of making myself feel all this mom guilt.

Zoie is a straight-A student, who is for the most part she is happy (what kid ever wants to do chores), healthy, and has everything advantage to do well in school and life. Why have all this mom guilt when she’s doing great?

My last little note; if you know a mom tell them they are doing okay and tell them why. Not just “oh you’re a good mom”, tell them why to help them feel better. If you’re a judgmental person, keep it to yourself, moms have enough mom guilt to stop adding to the pile. Parenting is hard no matter how many kids you have, financial situation, and we all just need a little reassurance we’re doing okay. It really does take a village.

Bonus some photos.