Mom Meets Social Media

It's taken me weeks to write my "Mother's Day" post for a lot of reasons. One, I have a newborn and we are still trying to all get into a groove. Two, I started back at my online job and my "free" time is even less. Three, I have so much I want to write about I just couldn't decide which avenue/topic of motherhood I wanted to fall on. So the realities of motherhood with a mix of social media is what is coming out today b/c I'm in an edgy mood, not a sappy one. So without further ado...

Being a Mom...
There's so many great and wonderful things about being a Mom in the age of social media and technology. I often think to myself, "How did our parents survive these early years without Facebook and texting? I mean sometimes, just being able to post the insanity that just happened in your home helps relieve the stress and makes us moms see the lighter side of "momhood." Like when your toddler plastered herself with Desitin during naptime and about a hundred other people can relate, or when your newborn is up screaming all night long for what feels like the millionth time in a row, when everyone is melting down in a pile of tears on your living room floor over who had the yellow crayon first, or when your dog is puking all over the floor, and your kid walks in smeared in poop. Sometimes it's posting a quick status about ideas for a last minute dinner with only staples from the pantry, when the monsters at your feet are acting like they've never seen food before and it's already 5pm. Or maybe it's making light of the fact that it took you 3 hours to take a shower and get clothes on (nevermind make-up) and your hair dryer never even saw the "on" button and you showed up at your kid's playdate like this. There once was a time in your life when you NEVER would've went out like this, nevermind post it on social media! **GASP** people might not think you have it together!!!

And then, there's texting. The texting content is reserved for only the select few who get to see an even more raw version of yourself. You know, the version that sends competitive texting pictures of whose house is messiest, who looks the sexiest in the pajamas they've been wearing for two days straight, no make-up, and hair looking a hot mess, and who sends pictures of the special drinks they are having to get through the day. It's those friends, who, when all of the above scenarios happen that normally would make your OCD perfectionist self curl up in a hole and die, help you bust out laughing and deal with the mess of life in a happier tone. These kind of texts are reserved for the days when you can't get out and mingle among the sane adult world like normal people, but instead are stuck in duck pecking ankle biting world, which really, you wouldn't change for anything. I sit here and laugh out loud at the 12 hour long texting conversations that happen between myself and some close girlfriends. That's what's so awesome about texting. There's no pressure to respond right away, there's no worrying about the fact that your kid is going to come in as soon as they see the phone up at your ear and insist they are dying and need your undivided attention RIGHT NOW. When chaos is lurking around every corner, there isn't an easy way to have an actual phone conversation. And really, you just need a quick shout out to someone way out there who knows, understands, and will laugh, and cry with you among the snapshots of your day. And so, for your entertainment, here are a few of those snapshots...
"I just got a huge diet coke. Life is better."
"I miss my butt the most."
"Sometimes I wish my dog would die a peaceful death so I wouldn't have to take care of her." (Contrary to popular belief that text was not mine!)
"This is a get naked and cry kind of day."
"Did this really just happen______" followed by any number of ridiculous pictures and scenarios involving small people.
"Can my kid go in the pool with diarrhea?" "Eh, sure. Pools have chemicals."
"What's your high and low today?"

And the negatives of social media as a Mom? There is SO.MUCH.PRESSURE. So much. Too much. The "wealth" of information on the internet is almost crippling to most moms out there. I've stopped reading most of it. You know what I'm talking about.... the mom who is constantly posting "mom-guilt" articles about how your children's childhoods are being wasted away because you didn't pay attention to them every second of the day. Or how you should go out in the freezing cold snow and play with your kids because one day they will be grown and you'll miss those moments. Truth statement- I will miss the days when they are small, but I will not miss the days when I could've played with them in sub degree weather in the snow. I just won't. I love my children. But I hate the snow. And somehow, I read those articles and end up feeling like the world's worst mom. They convince me that I better get bundled up and roll around in the snow pretending I love it, so my kids don't end up in therapy, and I don't end up an empty-nester curled up in the fetal position, bawling my eyes out over lost moments in the snow. You see, my sane self tells me, "Whatever, it's FREEZING and miserable outside. My kids can enjoy the snow outside with Daddy," and leave it at that, knowing that I embrace and capture the everyday moments of life with my children every single day of the week. Playing in the snow does not make or break motherhood.

Then there's the posts and the articles about food and essential oils, and natural care, and you find yourself having a panic attack every time you hand your child a cup of Goldfish. Truth be told- we would all love to feed our kids and care for their health in the best way that exists. I think there is great value in the proper foods, natural healing remedies, essential oils, vitamins, and a researched vaccination schedule. We utilize all of these! But I also know there's a limit to the budget and a limit to the hours in the day to meticulously pour over articles, and food labels, and menu planning, and chemical toxins. Value? Absolutely! Perspective? Most definitely! So moms, breathe a sigh of relief if you are at your wits end and crack yourself a diet soda and hand your kid some crackers from a box, while giving them a multi-vitamin that is not accompanied by fish oil and a bath in essential oils. (Simply because you've run out, or because this months budget doesn't afford for it). Oh how we wish this was the case, but sometimes, it just can't be. And IT'S. OKAY. Breathe deeply, and stop clicking on mom-guilt articles that have you pouring over Pinterest when you should be sleeping to give your child the "best childhood ever." Just love them. Feed them crap sometimes. And post it on social media to find that you really aren't as alone as you think.

(Evie does not have a mullet, even though it looks like it)!