We’ve all read the articles, seen the memes, maybe even wear shirts that proclaim what TYPE of mom we are. There’s a million buckets that we can fall into. Sometimes I feel like I’m testing the waters of one bucket, while falling head over heels into another. It changes monthly, weekly – sometimes even daily. One day it feels like I’m juggling ALL THE THINGS and the next, I’m cleaning melted crayon out of the dryer while trying to feed the kids breakfast, get to school on time and still make it work for a 9:00 meeting.
I am the hot mess mom.
I’ve caught my kids’s vomit in my hands because it seemed like a better option than cleaning it from the carpet.
I am the helicopter mom.
Hovering is the name of my game.
I am the crunchy mom.
My kids wear amber teething necklaces and I sneak organic kale into their smoothies.
I am the type A mom.
I have a kitchen white board and every family member’s activities are color coded.
I am the forgetful mom.
I have 45 unread text messages, 171 unread emails and don’t get me started on my Facebook messages (if you’re waiting for a reply, it’s not coming anytime soon 😂)
I am the room mom.
Because no one else signed up.
I am the PTO mom.
Because I can’t say no and what’s ONE MORE THING when life is already crazy?!
I am the the soccer mom.
I drive a minivan, clean grass out of cleats and drag myself out of bed at 7:00 on a Saturday to watch four year olds run in herds, kicking the ball into the wrong goal.
I am the mean mom.
Because nobody listens when I ask nice the first six times.
I am the working mom.
I show up to meetings with spit up on my shirt and stickers on the butt of my pants.
I am the minimalist mom.
Don’t send another piece of plastic junk home with my kids or it’s going straight to the trash.
I am the hoarder mom.
I have boxes of handprint art and Mother’s Day cards and plastic beaded necklaces.
I am the mama bear mom.
Ain’t nobody got time for bullies.
I am the cool mom.
I can sing along to Kids Bop like the best of them.
I am the totally un-cool mom.
Mom jeans and all. #sorrynotsorry
You see – there’s a little bit of sterotypical mom in all of us. Some days we fall into one bucket more than another. And there’s been more than one time that I’ve leaned over to a friend swearing that “I’ll never be THAT kind of mom.” (Also, I was the PERFECT mom before I had kids – anyone else?!)
Yet, here I am – sometimes feeling a bit like the buckets are drowning me. Juggling all the things is easy – if you’re in the circus. And while my house feels a bit like one at times, I am no ringmaster or master juggler – so those balls drop constantly. And my buckets are constantly getting knocked over, refilled, and sloshed around.
So while the world throws out generalizations and stereotypes – I hope we can take all of those buckets and fill the biggest bucket of them all – The Good Mom. There’s a bit of hot mess, crunchy, helicopter, totally uncool, mama bears in all of us. Hear us ROAR!
