This past week kicked our butts and we got a tiny glimpse of how hard single parenting is. For starters, Mr. Ice Cream and I both got knocked down by pretty serious colds plus there was a major grant submission at work that meant working on the weekend and a few late nights. The result was one adult, with barely enough energy, running after a toddler and a second adult, coughing up a lung, working long hours.
I thought I would talk about some of my mom fails because it is so easy to develop an unrealistic perspective that everyone around you is leading the perfect existence, especially based on their social media posts. Well balanced (home cooked) meals, perfect parenting, gorgeous (and perfectly organized) house! But the reality is a much less edited version that doesn’t always feel “blog worthy.” Then I remembered one of the reasons it is so therapeutic to blog is that there are so many other moms out there that feel the same way and it’s so much better to know you aren’t alone. So here it is, mom fails from last week:
1. We brushed Max’s teeth 5 out of the 7 days.
2. Max had microwave Mac & Cheese for 3 days.
3. I forgot to bring extra clothes for Max at school so 3 days in a row he came home wearing daycare pants.
4. Max started saying “Roomba play with Max?” (Roomba is our vacuum cleaner)
5. Any more than one pile of clean laundry feels like an overwhelming pile that is impossible to tackle. This week we let 3 piles build up.
6. Max’s daycare teachers told me they can tell we are working on “potty training” at home because Max is improving, but aside from buying a “potty” we haven’t done anything.
7. This might be more of a personal fail, but Mr. Ice Cream and I have run a NCAA tournament pool for the last 10 years, and this is the first year we didn’t have time to set it up. Mr. Ice Cream sets up the backend (scoring system, website, etc) and I handle the brackets. It’s the perfect activity that combines my love of college basketball and Mr. Ice Cream’s love for tech. I feel strangely sad that it didn’t happen this year, but it’s not to say we won’t try again next year.
What’s your secret for getting through a tough week? Please share!
cherry / 141 posts
It’s nice to hear that I’m not the only one struggling. My daughter has decided to be a pain in the morning when she needs to get dressed. I walk into her room and she’s just sitting there not moving. Not sure how to motivate her but I’ve been yelling (which isn’t working and I should stop). It makes for a tense morning and I’m ready to change the habit.
guest
We forgot extra pants and of course ours had an accident for the first time in forever. This week we also experienced letting them wear their clothes from the day to bed, not brushing hair, skipping an extra bath day (we usually do every other day), letting the older one eat dinner wherever she wants, a giant pile of laundry on the kitchen table all week (and more in the basket in my room)…I think the secret to getting through times like this is just letting things go and not caring!
pomelo / 5220 posts
#4 made me laugh out loud. I think we’ve all been there on the parenting fails, but its so nice when someone keeps it real.
apricot / 370 posts
Is it bad that none of these would rate as “fails” for the week? This is more like…our life.
blogger / apricot / 250 posts
@kellyrae: I’ve had mornings like that too! And I agree that it really makes such a difference knowing you aren’t the only parent struggling.
blogger / apricot / 250 posts
@shabang: not bad at all! In fact thanks for commenting because a lot of these things are part of our life too. I wrote that post after a week where I was truly feeling overwhelmed by work and parenting that all the little “failures” weighed more heavily than usual.
grapefruit / 4085 posts
We all have these! I had two baskets of clean laundry piled on top on one another sitting in the den for days! Tonight my 12 mo old ate a banana for dinner b/c he was exhausted and we just knew he wouldn’t eat anything else we’d offer so why bother
kiwi / 635 posts
@shabang: lol yes I’m right there with you! It is a rarity to NOT have this kind of week
pomelo / 5573 posts
“Roomba play with Max?” is the cutest thing I have heard all day. I call that a win – he’s expanding his horizons and seeking alternate ways to be entertained!
blogger / apricot / 250 posts
@erinbaderin: that’s a much better way to think of it!
pear / 1521 posts
I too love number 4!