Welcome back to The Confessional! Whether you attend a church of place of worship on Sundays or not, here at Chasing Supermom, Sunday mornings are all about reflection, confession, and the ever-elusive acceptance and forgiveness…It’s time to cut yourself some slack and lower your standards a bit….Allow yourself the freedom to wear sweats as you drop your child off at school….to use Nick Jr. to amuse your kids for an hour while you fold laundry (or surf the internet..) You are not the only house to have crusted up breakfast cereal on the dining room chairs or containers of questionable leftovers in the fridge…You’re a REAL mom…not a mythical tv mom…Life happens, and we might as well accept the ups and downs, and smile along with whatever our kids throw at us (sometimes literally.) So, take a breath, read the confessions, and know that you are NOT alone.

Today’s confessor is a loyal Chasing Supermom reader (bonus points!! Jk), and a mother of boys! She and I have a lot in common, and I’ve enjoyed staying caught up through the internet with her. I hope you find some relief today, and connect with another great mom, who just like you, is doing the best she can. To check out all previous volumes of The Confessional, click HERE. Here we go!

Father forgive me…

I am a teacher turned stay at home mom to 2 amazing boys, ages 5 and 2 (#3 is on the way, and yes, he’s another boy!!). I am super grateful to my super hard working husband who not only sweats in the hot sun all day but never complains about any of what I am about to confess.

1. I have sent my son to school wearing dirty socks, mismatched socks, and his dad’s socks. He also wore his dad’s socks to soccer. They were long and covered the shin guards, which was important, I thought. I did look for his soccer socks but could only find one lone sock out of the two pairs he has.

2. I can get our clothes washed and dried but it’s a monumental occasion if they make it out of the basket and into drawers and closets. We use cloth diapers and they also stay in a bag when they are clean. I honestly cannot figure out how other moms get the clothes put away. I do try to make sure my husband has socks and underwear in his drawer because he gets up at 5:30am for work and I feel guilty if I hear him digging in the baskets for matching socks.

3. I have used our current mop twice in the 5 months we have owned it. One of those two times I only used it because I broke a bottle of red wine on the tile floor. My husband mops the floors because he’s just better at it.

4. I tell people I am a stay at home mom because daycare would be more expensive than it’s worth, which is somewhat true, but really I don’t want to go back to work. I like staying home with my kids and I like being able to nap during the day.

5. Every year after Christmas, I put half of the unopened gifts my kids get in their closet. Sometimes I use them for birthday presents, sometimes I sell them, and sometimes they sit there for a long time because I forget what is up there. I also get rid of all puzzles that don’t have a box to store the pieces.

6. I despise glitter and refuse to let it in my home. I also do not like Play Doh and my kids have played with it maybe four times at home in the 5 1/2 years I’ve been a mom.

7. When my kids lose a toy or need help finding one, I tell them, “I don’t babysit toys.” I feel like it probably teaches them some responsibility but I really just don’t care enough to keep track of their stuff. We have left toys all over town because they forgot they brought them and I didn’t remind them (I mostly forgot they brought them, too.)

8. I throw away all little broken pieces of toys I find without bothering to look for the rest of the toy. Also, if my kids break a toy, it goes straight in the trash. I do not fix toys. Ever.

9. I recently decided it was ok to go to Starbucks and get myself an iced latte with no intention of buying the boys an apple juice or iced tea. The joy of that delicious treat really helps drown out the sounds of,  “But we are so thirsty! We need a drink now!”

10. I have no idea where my 5 year old will go to Kindergarten in August and I’m really not worried about it. I unknowingly missed all the deadlines for the good schools and messed up the application for the scholarship to a private school. If all else fails, he’ll be homeschooled. I figure it’s Kindergarten, not college.

11. Above all, I pray that God will fill in the gaps where I mess up. I love my family and thank God every day for the gifts that they are but I know I am still learning and constantly make mistakes. Thank God for forgiveness, the innocence, and love of our wonderful kiddos!

 

Please let me know if you would like to confess! I am always excited to get another parent on board. It is a freeing experience and we’d love to have you!