The worst mother in the world...
...wouldn't lie awake at night, thinking about the mistake she made earlier in the day.
She wouldn't wonder if her kid would end up in therapy because of it, or desperately wish she could go back and have a do-over.
The worst mother in the world...
...wouldn't take the time to chop veggies for lunch or dinner, doing her best to raise a healthy child in an unhealthy world.
She might not feed him at all.
The worst mother in the world...
...wouldn't watch her babe while he sleeps with the funny lump in her throat and the sense of love rushing over her.
She wouldn't gently caress the side of his baby-soft cheek while a tear rolls down her own.
The worst mother in the world...
...wouldn't rise with that same child later when the moon hangs high in the midnight sky
She wouldn't rock, feed, or comfort him when he's sick or when the nightmares try to get him.
The worst mother in the world...
...wouldn't worry about how much television her little ones watched
She wouldn't feel guilty when she turned on the screen; it would be on all the time anyway.
So no matter what those voices in your head sometimes tell you, you are not the worst mother in the world.
You do all these things, and hundreds more, each turning of the globe.
You're screwing up, like we all are, but you are there. Doing your imperfect best day after day, decade after decade.
It's all going to turn out beautifully, you'll see. How could it not?
Because you are the best mother, for your kids, in the whole world.
"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there."
~ Robert Browning
