Cat and Nat tackle motherhood with wit and wisdom. Find them at catandnat.ca or @catandnat.
Not too long ago, there was a “bad mom” movement. It was a celebration of moms who are not always perfectly put together, with super-clean homes and gourmet meals for their kids. It was, essentially, a celebration of being normal.
As much as we enjoyed it, we think it’s time for a movement with some positive messaging.
We’re here to tell you that the “good mom” movement is happening right now.
As moms, we are constantly overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and pressure because we want to be the best moms to our kids, and we often don’t feel like we’re enough.
But we want to share a very important message: if you do any of the following, you are a good mom.
5. You have groceries
If you have any groceries in the house, you are a good mom. To be clear, by “any,” we mean any one, single item that can be consumed — crackers, yogurt drinks, Cheerios, cheese — these are all foods that can be eaten, which means your kids are lucky. And FYI, if you serve buttered noodles and salt for dinner (because that’s all you have or that’s all they’ll eat), it’s basically a full meal, because they now make noodles with fibre and veggies inside them. So basically, you’re winning.
4. You wake up
You wake up in the morning. Seriously, if you get out of bed in the morning instead of sleep in and let your kids fend for themselves, you’re killing it.
Most moms haven’t slept through the night since they became a mom, so getting out of bed is always an achievement!
3. Your kids go to school
You make sure your children get to school. Good on you, Mama! You’re giving them the tools they need to succeed. If they look like an absolute mess as they walk out the door, so what? That’s not a “you” problem, that’s a “them” problem. If they’re old enough to put on clothes, they’re old enough to figure out what to wear.
2. You don’t help with homework
You don’t help your kids cheat. If you read to them, it’s technically cheating: they need to read their own book. So don’t worry if you can’t (or don’t want to) help them with homework. You’re actually teaching them a lesson and doing them a favour. Way to go!
1. You love your kids
You love your kids, period. They don’t even have to love you back, but you’re still a good mom! (They probably do love you, but they may not always like you, and that’s not on you.)
If you think about it, people have been reproducing since the beginning of time. Do you think cavewomen were worried about the nutritional value of their children’s food or whether or not their kid was wearing underwear? No! And somehow their generation led to our generation, so those cavemoms must have been doing something right.
Although we like to joke — like, a lot — all we want to say is that you’re a great mom.
If you wake up and love your kids, you’re a really good mom.
For more #momtruths, check out Cat and Nat’s piece on how clubbing resembles motherhood.
