We’re used to seeing women on social media looking ‘perfect’, with their beautifully-kept hair and makeup, and their well-behaved kids. Indeed, our newsfeeds are flooded with hashtags such as 'blessed' and 'parenting101'.
Comparatively speaking, showing these pictures through a ‘rose-tinted’ filter can create a lot of stress for hard-working mothers. All parents struggle from time to time, but mum blogger Sarah Cottrell has a message: it’s OK, and perfectly normal to feel this way.
Known on social media as Housewife Plus, she posted the unfiltered truth about parenting, with all its up and downs; laughs, tears and near-breakdowns.
Sarah voiced her frustration on Facebook, over her young kids misbehaving while she tried to get her housework done before the day was out: “Trying not to pull my hair out. I have been trying to finish the laundry I started yesterday and do the dishes (we don't have a dishwasher because I AM THE DISHWASHER). My oldest son is bouncing off the walls (literally, there is a frigging dent in the wall), my middle wild child just bonked his head while spelunking in the linen closet...
“I haven't showered, eaten, or even gotten dressed for that matter, and it's already after 2pm. And you know what? I don't feel #blessed in this moment. I feel frustrated and tired.”
She reminded us all that raising kids is a journey littered with tears (of both joy and misery).
“But that's what parenting is, right? It's this crazy journey that is mostly rewarding but pock-marked by sh*tty days like this one. These are the if-it-doesn’t-kill-you kind of days. I file these moments away in my heart for when I need to remind myself that I am only one person. Like every other mum, I am trying my best to do this right,” she explained.
The New York Times best-selling author confessed that although motherhood is difficult and emotionally-taxing, it also fills her with love and joy.
“I won't ever colour neatly inside the lines of motherhood... the sink is full of dirty dishes, at least one kid is whining, and I smell faintly of pee and spit-up (don't ask) - that big feeling of love is all I got. And I call that a win.”
You’ve got to admire her honesty and strength. In fact, many followers on Facebook cheered her on.
“Hardest job ever is being a mum! You are doing great, and this brings back so many memories of when my children were little. I think I survived the most trying days and would like to say it has become easier,” one commenter wrote.
What are your thoughts, mums? Have you ever felt the same frustration that Sarah has gone through? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
