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You are here: Home / Motherhood / How To Embrace Mom Guilt

How To Embrace Mom Guilt

November 10, 2021 By Kari Leave a Comment

It’s alive + well and not going anywhere. Let’s chat about how to embrace mom guilt! My experience,  awesome resources, and a few tactics on how to deal. 

As always, I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts and stories in the comment section at the bottom of this post. 

how to embrace mom guilt-1

Mom guilt (or parent guilt..let’s be honest, dads are in on this too) is here to stay. I say this with confidence because I’ve had mine since Wyatt was in my tummy and he’s six now. For a long time, I tried to push it out of my mind but, for me, it’s all-consuming. Finally surrendering to that, I knew I needed some ways to deal with it.

I have mom guilt almost every day. In the baby days, it was mostly over my anxiety of being a new parent and feeling guilty about passing that onto or our son. “Oh great. He’s going to grow up filled with anxiety”! I’ve had big mom guilt over my two worlds- being a stay-at-home parent and chasing after my career and dreams. Guilty for spending too much time working and not enough time being a mom, and vice versa. Not wanting to miss a moment and feeling so guilty when I felt I had. These days the guilt comes mostly from not handling situations properly. Flying off the handle or losing my cool. I work really hard to be a calm parent but you know how it is. Sometimes the situation gets the best of you.

Living it that guilt…staying there for too long is no good but pretending it doesn’t exist is worse. Wherever your parent guilt is coming from, here are a few ways that may help you deal with it.

how to embrace mom guilt-2How To Embrace Mom Guilt

We can do a thousand things right as a parent but why is it that one moment we’re not our best is what we hold onto? Here’s how to embrace the mom guilt:

  • Recognize these feelings are totally normal. I can bet every single parent on the planet has experienced this at least once.
  • Write down beautiful parenting moments and wins in your phone. When the guilt creeps in go read that list and remind yourself the ‘I’m a bad parent’ vibe is total b-s.
  • Realize you have guilt because you care so much because you love your kids so much. Evidence that you’re already an amazing parent.
  • If you’re feeling guilty about doing something that takes you away from your kids – explain it to them. Share with them what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. “Mommy is going to go to work. I love my job so much and it allows us to do cool things together as a family!” Or, “I’m sorry I’m missing movie night but mommy has a chance to see her friends and it makes me so happy to spend time with them. Just like you with your friends!” I truly believe this sets such a great example.

how to embrace mom guilt-3

Parenting Resources

You may have heard me talk about these over on Instagram but here they are again. I highly recommend:

  • This Book: ‘You’re A F*cking Awesome Mom’ by Leslie Anne Bruce (affiliate link). Self-empowerment resources and all the realness when it comes to the chaos of parenting.
  • This Podcast: ‘We Can Do Hard Things’ hosted by Glennon Doyle and her sister Amanda. Many of the episodes are parenting-related. My favourite parenting quote came from one of those episodes: “Stop trying to be a better parent. Start focusing on being a better human and let them watch you.” Mind. Blown.

how to embrace mom guilt-4

I truly believe we gain so much from shared experiences. When I hear another parent validate or share a similar story relating to what I’m going through it helps me SO much! Just knowing you’re not alone in your feelings and experiences brings such comfort. Please share any thoughts, feelings, or stories in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!

 

Other Posts You’ll Love

Fertility, Pregnancy, and The Vaccine

The Best Parenting Poem

10 Productivity Hacks For Work From Home Parents

xx

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Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 ... but seriously? 

Actually listened to the lyrics while Miss. Rachel was on.🙈 Side note- i love her.

 What else needs changing? ⬇️
#motherhoodjourney #wheelsonthebus #1950scalled
Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️ You kno Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️

You know what drains a kid's emotional cup - being overscheduled. We've lived it and I'm here to say it's SO MUCH BETTER on the other side.

📍Last year, our goal was to give our oldest (now 8) every opportunity to try things to figure out what he loved. His schedule was packed with activities (I realize this is a privileged point). We were running - sometimes literally - from school to activity every night of the week and on weekends.

📍Fast-forward to this year - he has so much more time to just be a kid and we're all happier! He's picked a couple of things he's passionate about, but we've cut so much out and now most of our after-school time is open. Maybe we'll run an errand, maybe we'll come home and hang out, maybe we'll play at the park with friends and get ice cream. 

✨️ If one day he decides he wants to pour more time into one of his passions - we support that, but for now this is it and it's awesome! 

➡️ Have you lived this? How do you balance wanting to expose your kid to different activities so they find what they love with wanting your kids to just be a kid? Share below.

this video ⬆️ is from @fairmontjpl's Lac Beauvert. On every summer visit, Wyatt and I have a tradition of renting a kayak from The Boathouse and cruising the lake. 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 

#parentingjourney #overshedulingkids #letkidsbekids
This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? M This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? Makes me want to be a better human. ✨️✨️

Words by @wordsof_emmaheaphy 

📍Save this to come back to and share with your friends in motherhood. Be sure to check out my Reel two back on 'Glimmers' - that one has helped me with the tough days.❤️❤️

➡️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 👋

#motherhoodjourney #momquote #parentingquotes
🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a frien 🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a friend who could use some laundry help. 🤗

➡️ Do you hate laundry? Love it? I love washing and hanging. My husband is definitely better at folding. ❤️

Tip 1️⃣ has been a game-changer. Fresh laundry and no stinky clothes that have been sitting too long. I schedule mine to end when our baby naps so I can get to it right away. 

Tip 2️⃣ if you want wrinkle-free clothes that don't wear down as quickly - take your clothes from the wash and throw in the dryer for 5-8 mins only and then hang to dry. I do this for everything but stuff that is workout pant or bathing suit material (that goes straight on the rack).

The little time on the dryer is just enough to take the wrinkles out without shrinking or compromising the longevity of your items.

Towels, blankets, and sheets do go in the dryer for a full round. 

Did this help? 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi! 👋

#laundryhack #laundry101 #momtips #laundrytips
Load More… Follow on Instagram

kariskelton

Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 ... but seriously? 

Actually listened to the lyrics while Miss. Rachel was on.🙈 Side note- i love her.

 What else needs changing? ⬇️
#motherhoodjourney #wheelsonthebus #1950scalled
Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️ You kno Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️

You know what drains a kid's emotional cup - being overscheduled. We've lived it and I'm here to say it's SO MUCH BETTER on the other side.

📍Last year, our goal was to give our oldest (now 8) every opportunity to try things to figure out what he loved. His schedule was packed with activities (I realize this is a privileged point). We were running - sometimes literally - from school to activity every night of the week and on weekends.

📍Fast-forward to this year - he has so much more time to just be a kid and we're all happier! He's picked a couple of things he's passionate about, but we've cut so much out and now most of our after-school time is open. Maybe we'll run an errand, maybe we'll come home and hang out, maybe we'll play at the park with friends and get ice cream. 

✨️ If one day he decides he wants to pour more time into one of his passions - we support that, but for now this is it and it's awesome! 

➡️ Have you lived this? How do you balance wanting to expose your kid to different activities so they find what they love with wanting your kids to just be a kid? Share below.

this video ⬆️ is from @fairmontjpl's Lac Beauvert. On every summer visit, Wyatt and I have a tradition of renting a kayak from The Boathouse and cruising the lake. 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 

#parentingjourney #overshedulingkids #letkidsbekids
This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? M This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? Makes me want to be a better human. ✨️✨️

Words by @wordsof_emmaheaphy 

📍Save this to come back to and share with your friends in motherhood. Be sure to check out my Reel two back on 'Glimmers' - that one has helped me with the tough days.❤️❤️

➡️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 👋

#motherhoodjourney #momquote #parentingquotes
🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a frien 🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a friend who could use some laundry help. 🤗

➡️ Do you hate laundry? Love it? I love washing and hanging. My husband is definitely better at folding. ❤️

Tip 1️⃣ has been a game-changer. Fresh laundry and no stinky clothes that have been sitting too long. I schedule mine to end when our baby naps so I can get to it right away. 

Tip 2️⃣ if you want wrinkle-free clothes that don't wear down as quickly - take your clothes from the wash and throw in the dryer for 5-8 mins only and then hang to dry. I do this for everything but stuff that is workout pant or bathing suit material (that goes straight on the rack).

The little time on the dryer is just enough to take the wrinkles out without shrinking or compromising the longevity of your items.

Towels, blankets, and sheets do go in the dryer for a full round. 

Did this help? 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi! 👋

#laundryhack #laundry101 #momtips #laundrytips
Load More… Follow on Instagram

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