The Perfect Mom
Oh, you've seen her: bright and perky on Monday morns, dressed fashionably, subtle makeup impeccable, balancing one, two, even three well-behaved children as she walked, serene, onto campus. She doesn't seem to need the Cheetos or KitKat fixes I look for at 4 p.m., nor does a forgotten backpack ruffle her Zen calm.
Oh, there are so many of these perfect moms around me, and you know what?
I don't hate them.
Oh, there are so many of these perfect moms around me, and you know what?
I don't hate them.
I guess I should: compared to them, I am the mom in the rumpled jeans and ponytail who is forever forgetting my son's lunch. My makeup, when I have time to put it on, is fine save for my raccoon eyes (yes, I know I shouldn't rub my contact lens!) I still have to lose weight and no, it isn't baby weight. I had my last baby three years ago, I lost all the baby weight in the sleepless, postpartum depression months, and gained back 20 lbs of just regular fat, thank you!
Anyway, back to Perfect Mom. There are so many of them in Firstborn Son's school and the ones I know, the ones with the kindergarten kids, are actually very nice. Very normal. Very inspiring. And most of them have more than two kids, mind you!
So they are my role models. M has four girls and she always looks adorable, even when she hasn't had enough sleep. She tells me she usually sleeps at midnight cleaning the house, doing school projects she volunteered for...did I tell you she's also a fantastic artist? She was the first one to say hello to me when I was friendless and nervous on our first visit to the school. And she's ALWAYS the first to say hello, to ask how I am, to see if she can help out somehow.
"Do you have six toes or something, there HAS to be something wrong with you!" I asked her once, only half-joking.
It helped when she admitted she does sometimes scream at her kids, she does sometimes buy sugared cereals, oh she does get tired. I love that, because then I can allow myself to think if she feels the same way as me, I can do what she does too: dress nicely (it's charity work, no one wants to look at a slob!), lose weight, be more friendly, more involved.
So yeah, thank you Perfect Moms for your inspiration, no sarcasm intended AT ALL. I know your lives aren't perfect either, but it helps to look the part.
Anyway, back to Perfect Mom. There are so many of them in Firstborn Son's school and the ones I know, the ones with the kindergarten kids, are actually very nice. Very normal. Very inspiring. And most of them have more than two kids, mind you!
So they are my role models. M has four girls and she always looks adorable, even when she hasn't had enough sleep. She tells me she usually sleeps at midnight cleaning the house, doing school projects she volunteered for...did I tell you she's also a fantastic artist? She was the first one to say hello to me when I was friendless and nervous on our first visit to the school. And she's ALWAYS the first to say hello, to ask how I am, to see if she can help out somehow.
"Do you have six toes or something, there HAS to be something wrong with you!" I asked her once, only half-joking.
It helped when she admitted she does sometimes scream at her kids, she does sometimes buy sugared cereals, oh she does get tired. I love that, because then I can allow myself to think if she feels the same way as me, I can do what she does too: dress nicely (it's charity work, no one wants to look at a slob!), lose weight, be more friendly, more involved.
So yeah, thank you Perfect Moms for your inspiration, no sarcasm intended AT ALL. I know your lives aren't perfect either, but it helps to look the part.
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