The Pressure To Have It All Together

You name the place – the place you frequent often. This person walks in, hair looks like she just came from the salon, make-up done perfectly, jeans that fit the style, her children dressed in the latest boutique fashions, house as uncluttered and clean as can be, and a pep in her step that says “I’ve got this motherhood thing figured out.”

But in reality, she doesn’t.

None of us do.

We all have these “benchmarks of perfection” in our heads where if we do “this” or hit “this” point in our lives, well, then we have reached perfection. But IT DOES NOT EXIST. I hate to break it to ya, but perfection will never be reached because we live in a fallen and broken world. And therefore, NOTHING is perfect. It may seem like it is from the outside, but in reality, is crumbling and screaming for help.

What if, just WHAT IF…instead of trying to be flawless, we found beauty in admitting that maybe motherhood is complicated? That it’s hard. Messy. Ugly. Imperfect. What if we all took a moment to look at each other and instead of trying to live up to perfection, we saw each other as fellow friends and mamas who are all more alike than we think?

This is the truth: We can actually talk about our insecurities. About last night’s supper that tasted terrible. The child who threw their 7th temper tantrum that day. That we ate yet another bag of potato chips because it was comfort food. That you drank a can of pop. That you raised your voice a little louder than you had hoped. That you haven’t cleaned your house in weeks. It’s okay. Because I’m sure your fellow mama has probably DONE THE SAME.

To the person out there who looks perfect, eats perfect, sleeps perfect, has perfect skin, perfect children, a perfect car, perfect house, and a perfect faith – well, you don’t exist. Even if we think we do and even if that is what we are striving to be.

No one. Nada. Zilch.

Mama, please open up. Find that safe person to share your deepest struggles with. You need them. We need each other. We can’t do it all, so let’s just try to do it together.