To the Mother Trying to Stay Strong, I See You

Hey Momma,

I see you.

Yes, you.

The one sandwiched between adulthood and motherhood.

You’re putting on your bravest smile, making sure your babies don’t see your pain. But I see you. And I want to tell you, you are brave.

You could be running aging parents from appointment to appointment.

Holding the hand of your spouse or child in that treatment room.

Shushing your demons as you navigate intrusive thoughts.

Or maybe you just left the doctor’s office with words circling your head.

You could be pulling double shifts to pay the bills.

Frequenting the food bank to put meals on the table.

Missing rent a time or two so your baby has those trendy clothes for their first day of school.

You could be doing any of those things.

Because just because you’re a mother, doesn’t mean you go untouched by hardship in life.

Maybe where you are is not where you anticipated to be. In this juggling act between illness and motherhood, or depression and motherhood, maybe job loss and motherhood, or abuse and motherhood, it could even be divorce and motherhood, or death and motherhood.

But it happens. Those things happen even when you’re a mother. And you can’t tap out or wave the white flag.

You go on being mom while trying to keep it all in order. Trying to protect your babies from seeing that sometimes life asks more of you than you feel you can give. That sometimes, this life, it takes things away as much as it gives.

But in this moment or hurt or hustle, I want you to know I see you. I want you to know that you’re brave, and you’re strong, and you should be so very proud of yourself.

Not many can walk through life as gracefully with this much weight on their shoulders but you’re doing it while giving those babies a childhood—untouched by the hard truths of life.

And while you may feel alone, or scared, unsure of what’s to come, I can tell you one thing—when your babies are old enough to know what you’ve done for them, how you protected them in the most honorable way, they will know that you gave them the greatest gift the world has to offer—and that’s childhood.

So, mama, the one with the weight of the world on her shoulders—I see you. Your pain doesn’t go unrecognized. And I’m so proud of you for getting out of bed each and every day because adulthood doesn’t care that you’re a mother. And despite that, you’re doing an incredible job.

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