Juggling Motherhood and Sanity

As a Black woman in America, there are some days where I want to do nothing else but throw myself across my bed and sleep for a few days. Life can be so difficult to manage as you go through your days trying to be everything to the world and to yourself. Adulthood means constantly working to pay your bills, keeping yourself fed and healthy and trying to maintain the personal relationships in your life that are most valuable to you. Although some days are better than others, and the highs tend to balance out the lows, maintaining your peace of mind can definitely be a battle that all of us struggle with. However, for those of us who are working to keep ourselves afloat, how do we do that when we also are responsible for creating well rounded and emotionally sound children?

A family member of mine was going through a difficult time and confided in me that the hardest part of it all was trying to figure out what she wanted for her own life while trying to be a source of security and guidance for her child. Too often women, especially mothers, are expected to be strong in all circumstances and hold everything together. Mothers aren’t given the room to be tired, to be sad, to be frustrated or to simply just need a break without feeling immense guilt. Thankfully, as mental health awareness becomes more prevalent, people are finally beginning to recognize and be honest about the experience of motherhood and how difficult it truly is. I am here to say that it is okay to not be okay, it is okay to need a break from your children. Remember that no matter how much of a supermom you may be, you can’t pour from an empty cup, so fill yourself up whenever you need to, however you need to. No guilt.