No one really prepares you for how much motherhood changes your mind. Suddenly, everything feels urgent. The dishes need done. The laundry piles up. The house has to be clean. You feel like you have to be everything for everyone, and somehow do it all perfectly.
But no one tells you it’s okay to slow down.
It’s okay if the laundry waits another day. It’s okay if the dishes stay in the sink a little longer. Your baby won’t remember whether the house was spotless—but they will remember the comfort of your arms, your voice, and the time you spent with them.
Looking back, I realize I spent so much of my children’s baby years in survival mode. I was always focused on the next task instead of the moment right in front of me. I can’t remember the last time I truly felt a complete sense of calm.
I wish someone had told me that I didn’t have to earn the right to rest. That being present was just as important as being productive.
If I could tell every new mom one thing, it would be this: Your baby doesn’t need a perfect home. They need you. Take the pictures. Hold them a little longer. Let them nap on your chest. The chores will still be there tomorrow, but these little moments won’t.
It is so hard to get out of survival mode especially with having multiple kids I always feel like I need to do everything too but I am trying to remind myself that it can wait because time goes by so fast!
It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything is an emergency and that we have to earn our rest. Thank you for this beautiful, gentle reminder to slow down and just be there with our babies.
Yes! Time doesn’t wait for any of us unfortunately. Being the only parent some days it’s hard to slow but I’m trying to remind myself not every thing needs done in one day. Some tasks can wait for the next day!
This!! I use to think I can’t rest until everything was done. I would wake up and clean until it was bed time, almost every day. I realized the mess can wait. The mess shows my kids are comfortable enough to play, the dishes mean my kids have full bellies, the loads of laundry mean my kids have clean clothes on their backs. I had to keep reminding myself of these things
