By Erika Wilson 
This evening as I sipped my freshly poured Malbec, I gave my phone’s Facebook feed a quick scroll. The baby was happily munching away on dinner in his highchair, so I took a quick “me-moment” to check back in with adult-land.
I laughed when I saw the cute stemless wine glass pop up in my feed, etched with the new catch-phrase Because Kids. I thought to myself, I want one! Then I thought to myself, NO. Just, no.
My kid(s) may very well be the reason I drink, sometimes, but do we really need to advertise TO them that they are, indeed, the reason? Three out of the four kiddos that live in my house can read, and those same three also get their own glassware whenever they want a glass of milk. SO. Even if I stashed my delightful little wine glass away in the cupboard til after bedtime, they would see it anyway.
In all honesty, it’s rare that I ever pour myself a wine post-bedtime. That’s when I either collapse into my own bed, exhausted (or catch up on three loads of laundry).
This mama’s “grape-juice” hour starts MUCH much earlier than 9 p.m. If I am standing over a stove at 6:00 p.m. after a full day of work or errands or both, with a just-fed toddler tugging at my leg while I try to create something delicious-but-fast to feed the other four hungry boys in my house; you’d better believe there’s already a pretty little hammered copper tumbler in my hand. FULL OF GRAPE JUICE.
Now, I am 100% guilty of getting just the tiniest bit of pleasure from complaining about the crazy, chaotic madness that is my household, from time to time. I blog about it, I share funny mom-life memes (often with an AMEN!), I vent to my mom about it, (thanks mom!) and I swap horror stories with my fellow mama friends who are also (happily) in the trenches of child-rearing. It’s called SURVIVAL. Parenthood is crazy, it’s messy, it’s often inconvenient, and it can be downright stressful.
However.
I always make a special point to keep said bitching out of earshot of the darling young ones who play the leading roles in the sit-com gag reel that is our life.
It is with that sentiment that I say no to the aforementioned wine glass. I may REALLLLLY need that wine almost every day, but I don’t want my kids to think that they are the reason I drink it. Ever. So I won’t be buying myself, or any of my mommy friends, that cute glass. I’m no sanctimommy–on the contrary–I simply know that I would use it TOO MUCH. And I just don’t want my little boy to grow up thinking he drove his mom to drink. (At least not wine. I’d gladly carry a Because Kids coffee mug around all morning; that I could get behind!)
And lastly, to those of you who “mom” without an occasional libation to take the edge off? I equal parts commend you/envy your composure/don’t 100% believe you. Just kidding. I swear.
Because, Husbands. Because, Mondays. I can drink to that.
Because Kids? (You bet. But let’s not rub their faces in it.)
by Kimberly Keys 
by Bree Sprual 
by Vicki Bahr 
by Jaybie D. 
by Brittany Moore 
by Charissa Bates 
