Any parent will tell you, there are good days and bad days on the job. The genuine joy of parenting far outweighs the negative, but one mom wanted to remind us… it’s ok to have bad days too.
Yvette Lamb of Nottingham is the mother to a 3-year-old and 1-year-old son. On her Facebook page, Yvette posted an open letter after a self admitted emotional day and ‘half glass of wine.’ Her impassioned words are ones we all need to hear whether in the best days, or the worst of your parenting journey. Check out her inspiring, sobering words the post below.
*Disclaimer* I’ve had half a glass of wine, little sleep and am over-emotional about my baby’s birthday. But there’s something I need to say.
We are so lucky to be parents. We are so privileged. And life really is very precious.
This evening my youngest woke and hollered for us, as per. After a minute of holding him, swaying in my arms, he was back asleep. I laid him down a little awkwardly and ended up with one hand trapped under his chest while the other rubbed his back. As I watched him, his eyes fluttering before closing once again, I felt the ba-bum of his heart on my hand. Beating away, always.
The same heartbeat we saw flickering away on the grainy scan at six weeks pregnant. The same heart that beat inside of me, cocooned against mine all those months. This same heart beats and grows and loves every single day. This heart, with its arrival, filled ours up to bursting point.
Life and the universe hold so much beauty. We are all miracles.
Yet then there are so many stories of loss, of sick children, of infertility. And it is sad and it is heartbreaking and it is humbling.
I think it’s important to be honest about how tough this gig can be, and that to find it difficult doesn’t mean we’re getting it wrong or aren’t good enough. I completely champion sharing the grittier side of parenting, which is hard and exhausting and worrying. But I think it is also important to acknowledge that we are lucky, and gratitude can be shown without the pretence of perfection or of cherishing every moment. (Who, after all, really cherishes being puked on?)
So though I don’t and never will have this whole thing sussed, tonight I need to say I truly appreciate my children. They are our biggest gift and I am so very thankful to have them in this world.
You don’t have to cherish every moment but it will be the most beautiful ride of your life.
Share her truthful perspective today.
