Personal Narrative: The Mom Guilt

The mom guilt never ends. It starts before I even realize it. Why do moms always feel guilty one way or another? When I have 15 minutes alone I feel a sting of guilt for being away. Then I stop myself... after all, why should I feel guilty of having "alone time"? Yet I do. When they finally fall asleep at night, I admit I'm thrilled to relax. Then I feel guilty for being so happy. Which got me thinking... Is this normal? After a few years of raising Owen I realized that every mom out there feels guilty at some point or another. It's a funny thing what we moms put ourselves through.

I treasure every minute with my littles. We also experience "little bumps in the road" on a daily basis. But morning comes and I drop him off at school

and he waves goodbye and blows me a kiss and then the guilt hits me. I feel like a terrible mom for when I feel frustrated over minor things. I fight the urge to run to catch him to squeeze him tight and smother him in kisses. If I did he'd only laugh at me as he's oblivious to it all.

Whatever the reason for the guilt - we all have it. Whether it be for getting upset for a small thing, having alone time for 15 minutes and feeling happy, forgetting to kiss them goodbye when you leave the house and thinking "Am I enough, as a mom?"

I think of this "guilt" as a catalyst to always try to be a better mom. Feeling it reminds me that I am a good mom. I'm starting to take that sting of guilt and self doubt and turn it into something positive