To All The Moms Who Think They’re Failing: You’re Not

Mother's Day is around the corner and I can't help but feel weepy. I feel this way every year as I reflect on the incredible job my mom did raising her four children. The circumstances around my childhood were less than favorable. Poverty and a terrifying father finding a myriad of ways to inflict emotional trauma. But my mother persevered making sure we were safe, supported, and uplifted along the way. That's what I always remember.

But when you ask her, she confesses she was never sure that anything she was doing was right. All she knew was that her intentions were always centered on making sure we were thriving. There were mistakes that ate her up at night and sometimes do to this day. She was constantly worrying, confident she was failing but always praying God would pull us and her through.

As a mother myself I definitely feel the way my mother felt. I often joke about being a bad mom, but there's a kernel of truth to it in that I'm constantly worried I'm ruining my children. I swear every mom has their stuff together except me. Feels like I'm flailing and failing. But the truth is I think most of us feel this way. And it makes sense because you've never been a mother until you are one. And there's no fool proof guide. We all are trying our best while thinking it's never enough. But I think that's the mark of a great mom. The fact that we care so much. Our kids feel that.

Yes, we will inevitably make mistakes. But the love, the effort, that's what your kids feel and remember most. That's what I remember about my mom that makes me feel so emotional for Mother's Day. That's what your kids will be feeling as they make your cards and pick out your gifts. So Happy Mother's Day to all my mommas out there who feel like they're crashing and burning. You're not. You just care a whole lot, and that in itself makes you a success.