Motherhood is wild, raw, messy and real and you will have been told one hundred times to brace yourself.
“Say goodbye to sleep”
“Enjoy your freedom whilst it lasts”
“Wait until the terrible two’s”
Somehow society only serves to prepare us for the storm. To focus on the loss, the struggle, the exhaustion. Everyone seems to want to hush the joy….just in case it’s unrealistic to talk about it.
But the joy is there. It’s there in abundance. The good stuff is so very real and why shouldn’t we romanticise it?!
Let’s shout from the rooftops:
“Wait until your baby smiles at you for the first time.”
“Wait until the 3am feed when they wrap their tiny fingers about yours and pull it close to them.”
“Wait until they nuzzle into your neck to fall asleep.”
“Wait until they make you laugh.”
Yes motherhood is damn hard, but it’s also breathtakingly incredible! Joy is not naïve. It doesn’t mean that we don’t all know parenting is hard.
Why shouldn’t we normalise talking about the tears and tenderness, sharing the scary moments, but also the beautiful ones. Admitting that we are tired, but also incredibly in love.
You don’t have to choose between being honest and being happy – you can be both.
Here is your permission to romanticise motherhood. You are allowed to hate it, but also to love it loudly and fiercely. It’s yours to survive, but also to celebrate.