Motherhood - Did you have realistic expectations?

As a mom you have many hats to wear and are pulled in many directions.

Can you be a perfect mom, wife, friend, employee, business owner, etc?

What is perfect anyway? Your kids don't want a perfect mom, they just want one that is there for them when they cry, need someone to talk to, after a meltdown, at a performance or at a competition. They just want you around them and to be present.

I find it impossible to compartmentalize my life as a mom. Maybe you are better at it than me. For one, I can barely think or complete an internal or external thought many times during the day. And sometimes just writing my to do list takes me half the day!

There is so much going on in my my brain between kids, my husband, keeping up with household responsibilities, remembering all the small things each day, and work. Many times tasks end up taking longer than expected or I just do less than anticipated.

I wish I could switch off part of my brain. It is hard because there is always something I want to do or someone I meant to write or respond to. It just is nonstop so much of the time. Then, add in mom guilt, and I am done!

One thing I realized is I need to make my to do list smaller or I will just feel frustrated that I did not complete most of the list. That is not helpful. I found it really means I did not set realistic expectations for a day.

How do you give yourself realistic expectations? What do you do to be more present and switch off parts of your brain? I think these are things many of us can work on.

Does this sound familiar to you? This is how I felt a few months ago, and sometimes I still feel this way. However, I am improving myself each day. Stay tuned to learn more.