By Jen Adair, blogger at Slightly Tilted, Entrepreneur, Homeschool Mom to two fab kiddos
I used to think I wasn’t afraid of anything except snakes. That’s not true. I’m afraid of a lot more.
Not a crippling fear, like I am with the slithering reptiles, but a fear nonetheless. Some are valid, some are not. Some I can overcome, a few are all in my head, and most came the second I had kids.
I’m afraid I’ll never watch This is Us because I don’t like sad shows, and I’ll be left out of every reference to the plot line for the rest of my life.
I’m afraid of the lighting in dressing rooms when trying on bathing suits. There is no way I look like that in natural light. No way. Dear Heavenly Father, NO WAY.
But most of all…
I’m afraid I’m doing it all wrong. I’m afraid I’m not good enough. I’m afraid of not being a great mother. I’m afraid of not being a great wife. I’m afraid of letting my friends down. I’m afraid of failing spectacularly and not recovering from it.
After carefully reviewing my list, it boils down to this: I’m afraid I’ll only be decent at the most important things and not GREAT at them.
Does anyone out there feel like they are great at this motherhood thing? I don’t think so. I’ve never heard one woman say, “You know, I’m really just the best at motherhood. It’s so easy. I feel loved and respected and always make the best choices for my children, partner, and myself. I’m wonderful.”
It doesn’t happen. But I think we all WANT to feel that way. It can be really hard to let go of the fear of not being “perfect” or “enough”, especially if you compare yourself to other moms. And trust me…I’m in this spot where I’ve made enough bad choices that I couldn’t ever judge anyone, but not enough that I’ve ruined my life.
I am the epitome of mediocre.
I promise you that those moms that you think have it all together and have perfect lives, do NOT have the life you think.
You know that saying that 90% of the things you worry about never even happen? It’s true. I used to be afraid that I wouldn’t fit in at school, but it turns out the doors were plenty wide enough for me. See? It’ll be okay.
And you are a great mom. Just ask your kid.
Hey, I’m Jen Adair. I’m an entrepreneur, Homeschool mom, CEO of organized chaos. Ok — it’s really not all that organized. Some days are great, some are not, some days I feel invincible, some days I can barely get out of bed. BUT… it’s my life and I’m living it. Browse my collection of random thoughts, humor (well, I think I’m funny!), images, links, whatever… at my blog Slightly Tilted. Sharing is caring, people!
