Topics

Arts & Entertainment

Bachelor & Bachelorette

Bridal

Fashion

Finance

Food & Drink

Health & Wellness

Home

Pets

Mayoral Thoughts

Travel

Videos

Women in Business

<   Swipe left or right   > 

Apr 26, 2025

Why is Everyone Crying and Where is the Dog?

Sheila Tucker

Photography By

M.Kat
Give yourself a break. Be kind to yourself. And know you can absolutely do it all. You can. You just can’t do it all at the same time and probably not on the same day (sometimes not even the same week).

Continue Reading

Mom. Mommy. Mama. Mother. MOOOMM!!! Bruh.

I see you. You’re being pulled in all directions: soccer practice, ballet lessons, and theatre rehearsals on the same day, inconveniently at the same time. The school calls, and you need to pick up your sick child, but you can’t clear your schedule to take the rest of the day off. “I guess it’s ‘bring your sick child to work’ day,” you mutter under your breath. 

Then there’s dinner to cook, homework, and the never-ending pile of laundry. Why is there always so much laundry? You tell yourself it will get easier when they get older, only to discover a whole new level of worry and concern.

Breathe.

Toddler meltdowns, teen meltdowns, and the dog needs to go outside. You crave a few moments of peace. A time out. You silently make your way to the bathroom. Surely, in all the commotion, no one will know you’re gone. Sadly, this is the only room for temporary solace. That is, until you’re found.

You take a deep breath. Trying to hold it all together like an old piece of painter’s tape. You have approximately 30 seconds, maybe 60 if you’re really lucky, before someone begins to wiggle the door knob.

You know your time is up as you hear your name echoing down the hall and steadily becoming more pronounced. “Moooommmmm!” You stand up. Roll your shoulders to return them to their rightful place, sigh your biggest sigh of the day, and open the door.

You, mama, juggle all of the day’s tasks while raising children and precariously balancing some semblance of a social life. I see your tired eyes, body, and soul. Putting one foot in front of the other because that’s your only option.

You take a hard swallow of your daily dose of worry. You are concerned you’re not living up to the expectations of your children, your spouse, society, all the moms who look like they have it all together, but most importantly, yourself.

There’s this struggle to juggle all the things in your life. You know, the stress of trying to get it right, to be a good mother. Worrying if you’re doing enough or providing enough nurturance to your child’s life.

Let me save you some time. You are. You do. End of story.

Your mind is holding so much and constantly reshuffling in an effort not to drop the ball or forget something – anything.

You, mama, have an impressive number of balls in the air at all times.

I’m here to tell you it’s OK to drop a ball. Then, with the skill of your best elementary school kickball player, kick it somewhere far away. Or you can place it to the side sans the flair.

Truth be told, not all the balls you’re juggling are glass. Some are rubber. That’s right – you’ll see those bounce instead of witnessing a crash with a million tiny pieces to clean up. You know which one is which. It’s at the height of the stress and mental load that you doubt yourself.

Dropping or setting down a ball is not a failure. It doesn’t say anything about your parenting skills or personhood. There’s zero shame. It’s called being a good enough mother.

“Good enough” doesn’t mean you’ve given up or don’t care. It allows your child to see that life is not perfect. Instead, it can be messy, and people can make amends.

The amount of emotional and mental weight you’re holding is bound to get heavy, frustrating, and fatiguing. Try this with me.

Pick up something heavy, but something you can easily hold. Now, imagine toting it around all day long. Yes, even while you’re driving or holding a child. You might find it difficult to focus. You quickly become fatigued and frustrated. Your arms or back might hurt. You begin to have thoughts about your situation that create more frustration.

Okay, now put that thing down and imagine doing the same things. Notice the absence of the pressure. In some ways, it’s easier – until guilt creeps in like an unwanted glitter explosion – sparkly, pointless, and impossible to clean up.

Guilt is one unfortunate and potential side effect of setting down a ball.

Your guilt makes sense. You want to give your children the absolute best childhoods, so they’re not sitting on my therapy sofa talking about you later in life. They probably still will, so let that one go.

You might be wondering how you can overcome guilt. The answer is simple; the practice, not so much. It starts with acknowledging your guilt. Don’t push it away. Make room for it to be there. Then, with your guilt in hand, you proceed. This could look like saying to yourself or aloud, “Ugh, I feel so guilty that I can’t attend all of Stephanie’s games” while also remaining present during the ones you can attend.

Usually, where you find guilt, you also find unmet expectations. Those expectations are great. They can give you something to look forward to. They can also be miserable when the distance between your expectations and reality is the size of the Grand Canyon.

Give yourself a break. Be kind to yourself. And know you can absolutely do it all. You can. You just can’t do it all at the same time and probably not on the same day (sometimes not even the same week).

You’ve got this, mama.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mamas, moms, mothers, like-a-moms, mommies, mooooommmms, and bruhs. Thank you for who you are and for carrying the mental, emotional, and physical load – Every. Single. Day. Now place your hands on your heart and repeat after me: “I am loved. I am good enough.”

To read more about the joys of being a good enough mom, search the CH2/CB2 archives in the May 2023 edition for “The Art of The Good Enough Mother.” There, I talk about the research and what being a “good enough” mother looks like. It’s a quick read for one of those times you’re hiding out in the bathroom. 

Happy Spring!  

Related Articles

A Timeless Transformation

Along the scenic waterways of one of Hilton Head Island’s most prestigious communities, a newly reimagined waterfront home stands as a testament to the art of blending classic elegance with contemporary comfort.  Alexandria Wildasin, ASID, owner and principal designer...

read more

Kids Summer Camp

*Pricing changes and human error occurs. Please see organization listed for final times, dates & pricing on all activities. Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, https://www.artshhi.com/arts-education/camps Create A Play   June 9-13 Ages 6-14  9:30a.m. - 3:30p.m....

read more

The Art & Science of Stone Restoration

Training is useful, but there is no substitute for experience.” The oft-quoted line from the 1963 James Bond film, From Russia With Love, applies to almost any situation requiring specialized skills. You can watch a YouTube video, read a textbook, attend a class, or...

read more