Dear mom of "that" kid,
You know who you are.
The other kids stay on the felt squares for story time--yours scampers away.
The others try plenty of new foods. You can barely get yours to eat at all.
The other kids laugh at the birthday party clown. Your kid runs and screams.
The others outgrew tantrums long ago--yours still has them daily.
The other kids skip into preschool, while your child leaves marks on your hand from her death grip.
None of the other moms at the playground chitchat about these issues. So it must just be you.
That inner, insecure voice accuses and puts you on trial. Condemns right inside your own head.
But dearest mom of "that" kid, I have a different message for you today:
You are valuable, vulnerable, chosen. YOU CAN DO THIS.
It isn't about your successful efforts--it's about your faithfulness.
Whether that means doing what needs to be done, or calling a friend in tears. Texting your husband a crazed "can you come home" message or matching your child's shouts with your own in a desperate moment...and saying sorry later.
Mom of "that" kid, there's no way you're going to get this right. Because there's no one way TO get it right.
But you are going to be there. You are going to stay. And that simple act of courage, again and again, will speak volumes over the years and decades ahead.
It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. Your child's going to be okay.
Dear mom of "that" kid,
You know who you are. And I do too.
You are: precious, freed from the need to be perfect, giving your personal best.
You are a wonderful mother, and I believe in you.
With love from
Jamie, another mom of "that" kid
“Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is...and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing it wrong.”
~ Donna Ball
