I have to admit, there are times when I feel like the only crazy mom out there. Even just writing that, a little voice in my head says, “Yeah you are!” I’m the only one who yells at their kids, tells them to do a chore instead of giving them a hug, and loses her mind over an unwashed counter. I know all the other moms are happily doing craft projects with their kids and reading them books. They don’t ever feel like running away, and they enjoy every minute with their children.
When I start feeling this way, it is usually because it has been too long since I talked to another mother. One of the things that happens though, is that the longer I am isolated from my friends the harder it becomes to reach out to anyone, and the easier it is to feel crazy. When I get a chance to have a conversation with someone else who has either gone before me in the kid-raising journey, or is alongside me, I realize it is not just me. This child rearing thing is HARD, and we need each other!
We moms put ourselves last. We are too busy to get together for coffee, or a movie, or sometimes just a phone conversation. My family has a lot going on and even when I have the best intention of making time for being with friends, things can come up. We need to fight for that time though, and try to see it as helping our families in the long run. If we can get together and share life: encourage each other through the tough times, pass a tissue when it’s really hard, laugh together about our toddlers, and celebrate when something goes right, we will be saner and stronger for our families.
I also need to be honest when a friend asks me how I’m doing. It is easy to just say,”fine!” with a happy face mask pasted on my face, but if it is a real friend truly caring about me I need to answer with the truth. More often than not when I give a real answer it opens up an honest conversation about life and we end up encouraging each other.
The bottom line is, we need each other. And if it turns out we are all crazy, at least we can be crazy together!
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. Ecclesiastes 4:12
Leave a Reply