What I Miss From My Old Life

A Gift for Mom! 🤍

There is nothing better than being a mother to my children. I love them more than life itself and I would never go back and change any part of being their mother. They have shown me the true meaning of life and what pure joy and happiness really is. I made sure to include that for all the “perfect mothers” out there that like to pretend these are the only thoughts that ever cross their minds throughout life.

However, the truth about being a mother is that life is not easy, perfect, always happy. Life with toddlers or small children is crazy, insane, disastrous, messy, and will drive you out of your mind, along with all of that good stuff I prefaced this with.

There are a few things you will miss when you become a mother and for everyone this list is a little bit different, but here are the major ones for this truly un-perfect (and not trying to be) mother.

1. Buying food for just me– I miss food I can call my own. I miss being able to go to the grocery store and pick out a snack food to delve into later in the evening in front of my binge-worthy show. Instead of this option, it’s two toddlers watching my every move at the store asking, “Can I have some of that? Are those cookies for me? When do I get to eat them? I want them NOW! Where are my snacks? I don’t want those chips!” If I am smart enough to grab something when they aren’t with me, they are little scavengers and they hunt it out at home. “When did you buy these, Mom? I want them!” Instead of this, I have resorted to hiding my stash, and liking snacks they won’t eat. Cookies with pecans in them or mint chocolate chip ice cream, both are golden and never touched, therefore, they are my favorite snacks now.

2. Eating food in peace– I know, you must think I do nothing but eat. If you are not a mother and are laughing at this statement, your time will come. If you are a mother, you will definitely relate to hiding your face in the fridge to scarf down that chocolate bar, or hiding in the pantry to finish off the cheese curls while the kids are sitting in front of a TV show you swore they would never watch. You have never seen a parent eat as fast as when they are hiding in the fridge and the kid comes walking around the corner. Also, be sure not to chew, because kids are smarter than that and they will realize you are eating something and they will definitely want some. If your mouth is full, they will have a hundred questions to ask you and then say, “Why aren’t you answering me, Mommy? Is there something in your mouth? Can I have some?”

3. TV– I miss movies, TV shows, award shows, trashy reality shows, etc etc etc. The children dominate, period. Since I am parent of the year and all, (ha!) I make sure my children do not live in front of the TV. This means either they are getting their allotted “TV time,” or the TV is off and I am forced to play yet another round of dress this doll for me or my sister said she isn’t my sister anymore. Thank god they go to bed early and I get an hour to myself in front of the TV, so I make sure my brain is fully rotting away in a wonderfully relaxing way almost every night. Before children, the TV was on the entire time I was home, just chilling in the background, incase anything exciting ever came on.

4. Showers- Long, hot, wonderfully blissful, relaxing, singing out loud to my music, showers! Do I get showers now? Of course I shower daily! Are they wonderful and blissful? Um…do you know anyone with small children, because their mothers will just laugh at that statement. Showers are not a relaxing process anymore, they are simply a way to get clean as fast as you can because both children need to pee and one may have already gone in the hallway while you were in there. You only get a few quick minutes and you better be prepared to answer fifty questions while you are in there. Children reason that if you don’t answer their question of “Can I color on your new hardwood floor?” that means you definitely don’t mind!

5. Reading– This one might be a little more personal to me, but I am sure it applies to everyone in some small way. I personally love to read books. I love to fall into a book that sucks me in and makes me feel like I am in a completely different world of peace, love, and happiness. You need silence to gain that feeling, and let me tell you silence is not something you may ever experience again until your children completely move out. That brings me to number six, which is…

6. Silence– This is something you may experience every now and then. Maybe your parents or in-laws decide they want the little buggers for the night, or you get done with work early and forget to tell anyone and sneak back to the house to stare at four walls for half an hour just because you can. This silence is pretty much gone, but even when you do catch a few moments of it, it will not be a positive feeling. If the children are home and you realize there is silence, someone is definitely coloring the hardwood floors or holding down their sister because they are a cop and sis is the robber.

This list could go on and on, but these are my top choices. These are the things I plan to do every night when I get twenty minutes or an hour to myself. Sadly, I often resort to dishes, homework, or planting myself on the couch and then being unable to move. So, if you are not a parent yet, make sure that you get in your fair share of binge-watching, chip-eating, shower-singing, silence-loving happiness!

So God Made a Grandmother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Order Now!

Christina Tippett

My name is Christina Tippett and I am from Schuylkill County, PA. I am married and a mother of 3 girls. I am currently working full time as an activity director. I am often overwhelmed by raising 3 girls and love to find ways to laugh about every part of parenting during these crazy but sometimes hilarious times. I am TroublewiththeTippetts

These Moms on the Sidelines Became My People

In: Motherhood

Moms with arms around each other watching baseball

Spending hours on end on a ballfield on Mother’s Day may not sound ideal to most, but the ones who get it know that it’s about so much more than watching young kids play ball. It’s about the instant bonds you make with families who end up becoming like your own family. It’s being surrounded by people who cheer for your kid louder than you do yourself. It’s about being lucky enough to have a pack of moms who will care for your child in your absence and send you pics and videos of what you are missing when you...

Keep Reading

I Wanted Experts to Fix My Child with ADHD. Instead, They Changed Me.

In: Motherhood

Little boy sitting at table talking to adult

I thought the experts were going to fix my child. I didn’t say that out loud. But it was there…quiet, desperate, sitting underneath every question I asked. If I just found the right strategy… If I just understood ADHD well enough… If I just listened hard enough… Maybe the meltdowns would stop. Maybe the chaos would settle. Maybe I would finally feel like I knew what I was doing. So I started asking questions. Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to interview ADHD experts (clinicians, researchers, specialists) through my podcast. And I showed up to every conversation like...

Keep Reading

Parenting a Child with a Disability Is Holy Ground

In: Motherhood

Some moments in motherhood stay with you. First steps. Preschool graduation. A first dance recital. And then there are harder times. The ones that do not make it into photo albums. The moments when the world feels too big and your child feels painfully misunderstood. When you are parenting a child with a disability, those moments tend to find you more often. This day should have felt like a win. My son had just met a goal in therapy. We walked out of his OT’s office smiling, carrying a page full of lopsided circles that had never looked more perfect...

Keep Reading

I Came Home With a Baby—and Lost Myself

In: Motherhood

I don’t think people truly believe me when I say I came back from the depths of hell after having my son. Birth is often portrayed as pure bliss. The moment a mother holds her baby and instantly falls in love. Life quickly returns to normal. Even in real life, new moms can look like they’ve settled into motherhood with ease. But what no one talks about is the ugly, incredibly hard side of it. Not every mom experiences postpartum depression, anxiety, or OCD. For some, it really is bliss. But for many of us, it becomes a fight for...

Keep Reading

He Doesn’t Always Need Me Anymore and I’m Not Sure How To Feel About It

In: Motherhood

Little boy playing with toys on the floor alone

There is a moment nobody warns you about. Not the sleepless nights. Not the feeding schedules. Not the endless cycle of laundry and worry that comes with keeping a tiny human alive. Those parts everyone mentions. The part nobody mentions is the moment you realize your child has started becoming his own person. And you are standing there watching it happen, equal parts proud and completely unprepared. My son is two years old. And lately he has been leaving the room. Not in a concerning way. In a he has somewhere to be kind of way. He will be in...

Keep Reading

We Keep Calling Her Confident, But She Doesn’t Trust Herself

In: Motherhood

I remember the exact moment it hit me. I was talking to a young girl, the kind everyone praises. She was polite, well spoken, respectful. The kind of girl people point to and say, “She’s so confident.” So I asked her a question I knew would reveal more than her smile ever could: “What do you do when something doesn’t feel right?” She froze. Not in a dramatic way, but in a quiet, almost invisible way. She looked down, shifted her weight, then looked back up at me, searching my face like the answer might be written there. Because she...

Keep Reading

I Knew Something Was Wrong, But No One Listened—And It Almost Cost Me My Daughter

In: Motherhood

After the traumatic birth of my daughter, I searched for others who had experienced vasa previa, but most of what I found were support groups for stillbirth. It’s easy to understand why; vasa previa is one of the most preventable causes of stillbirth, and yet most people, including most pregnant women, have never heard of it. My daughter is almost three years old, and I still carry a complicated guilt about that: why did we get to be the lucky ones? I want to share my story—not to frighten you, but because awareness is the only thing that saves lives...

Keep Reading

I Finally Admitted I Didn’t Want To Be a SAHM Anymore

In: Motherhood

For most of my life, I believed becoming a stay-at-home mom wasn’t just a choice, it was the ultimate goal. The kind of life a “good” woman was meant to want. The kind of life that meant you were doing things right. I grew up surrounded by that message. In conservative spaces, in church circles, in subtle conversations about what a “real” mother looked like. Women who stayed home were praised. Women who didn’t were quietly questioned. I learned, without ever being directly told, that a mother’s highest purpose was to center her entire world around her children and her...

Keep Reading

I’m Not Really Sure How To Do This Teenager Thing

In: Motherhood, Teen

I was not prepared to be a mother of teenagers. Sure, I was warned by other parents about the difficult journey I was about to embark on, but I did not expect it to be this challenging. I remember these two sweet, innocent children who wanted to be with me all the time. Now they barely give me the time of day. How did we get here? Like many parents, we long to have that child who once, a long time ago, called us Mommy and Daddy and begged us to read them another story. Where are those kids I...

Keep Reading

Why Don’t We Talk About Jonah’s Mother?

In: Faith, Living, Motherhood

Praying for My Son Send a storm to stop him; Let his friends throw him out. May he drop to the deeps, But gently, please, Stubborn though he may be. If it could only take three days, How my mother’s heart would Rejoice in praise. From the hell you allow him, Let him cry to you. Is not Nineveh and mercy Exactly what he knows He needs— A mercy on enemies He fears You will concede? Please let all the shade wither If his is an angry soul; Humble him and help him follow Where you would have his purpose...

Keep Reading

A Monday's Infusion of Joy and Medicine

Health

A Monday's Infusion of Joy and Medicine

Parents, Stop Roughing the Ref

Kids

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Christina Tippett

These Moms on the Sidelines Became My People

I Wanted Experts to Fix My Child with ADHD. Instead, They Changed Me.

Parenting a Child with a Disability Is Holy Ground

I Came Home With a Baby—and Lost Myself

He Doesn’t Always Need Me Anymore and I’m Not Sure How To Feel About It

We Keep Calling Her Confident, But She Doesn’t Trust Herself

I Knew Something Was Wrong, But No One Listened—And It Almost Cost Me My Daughter

I Finally Admitted I Didn’t Want To Be a SAHM Anymore

I’m Not Really Sure How To Do This Teenager Thing

Why Don’t We Talk About Jonah’s Mother?

Get It Now

So God Made a Mother

What I Miss From My Old Life

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

These Moms on the Sidelines Became My People

I Wanted Experts to Fix My Child with ADHD. Instead, They Changed Me.

Parenting a Child with a Disability Is Holy Ground

I Came Home With a Baby—and Lost Myself

He Doesn’t Always Need Me Anymore and I’m Not Sure How To Feel About It

We Keep Calling Her Confident, But She Doesn’t Trust Herself

I Knew Something Was Wrong, But No One Listened—And It Almost Cost Me My Daughter

I Finally Admitted I Didn’t Want To Be a SAHM Anymore

I’m Not Really Sure How To Do This Teenager Thing

Why Don’t We Talk About Jonah’s Mother?

Previous Post

Next Post

You May Also Like