31 Jan Mum Shares Powerful Message About Guilt
A mum on Instagram has shared a powerful message about the unique kind of guilt most mums feel.
“I felt guilty for being on my phone instead of paying attention to my kids,” Laura Mazza (a.k.a The Mum on the Run) captioned her Instagram post, painting a picture of a distracted and disinterested parent.
Nothing could be further from the truth as she adds: “But in that time I organised three play dates, found a good doctor, got recipes for dinner and talked to a friend.”
“I felt guilty for going out by myself…but in that time I relaxed, and I came back more happier than I’d been in a long time, and I loved them a little more,” she continues.
“I felt guilty for giving my baby formula but in that time I was able to rest my nipples, pump a little more, and came back ready to do it again.”
Laura is describing a unique kind of guilt mums feel. It’s not just feeling a bit bad when we put our own needs first, but a particular guilt that rises up when no matter what choice you make, you worry that it’s not quite the right thing to do.
“I felt guilty for staying home while my husband earned the wage…but in that time I was able to be with my baby. I felt guilty for returning to work because I couldn’t be with my baby, but in that time I was able to contribute to my family.”
Instead of wallowing in her guilt about what she hasn’t done for her kids, she takes a second to look at what those decisions enable her to do.
“I am a Mother, and in that time I learned that I feel guilty, I stress and I worry, and it’s because of the love I have for my children that I try my best to be perfect, and even though I’m not, I learned that my children are happy, they are fed and clothed and they are loved, and I shouldn’t waste any time letting guilt stop me from enjoying them, because in their eyes I’m perfect the way I am.”
We might not be perfect, but we do the best we can.
From all the mums, thanks Laura.
Photography by Laura Mazza – The Mum on the Run
