“Are you pretty, Mommy?” My daughter asked. I thought for a second as I starred in the mirror, strands of hair sticking straight in the air, eyes tired, face pale.

“Am I a bad parent if I think my child’s annoying?” I asked my husband, half-joking half-not.

There’s no alone time in motherhood. And when there’s a long day filled with tattling siblings, screaming, and playing nonstop, it’s okay to crave some quiet moments within it.

We’ve all been her, a parent in a struggle feeling like she’s not enough. Like, she maybe shouldn’t be a mom.

Why do moms yell? Because we’re overwhelmed. Because no one’s listening. Because our kids are about to get hurt. “Don’t put your hand in there!”

My eldest daughter is strong-willed, and she can turn the smallest request into the biggest fight.

I was cleaning up the mess on the playroom floor when I heard, “can you lay with me?” My middle daughter was watching a movie and wanted me to cuddle up next to her.

I don’t want my “body back” because that means I wouldn’t have my children. Plus, It didn’t go anywhere, it only changed for the better.

It’s impossible to be perfect because no one is, so we become plagued with mental health issues in the process.

You want to fast forward through the hard and get to the better everyone is talking about, but there’s a reason you can’t do that.

Every mom feels guilt at times. It’s inescapable. This guilt comes from expectations and the belief that we’re falling short.

When you describe me, my children, I want you to say, “my mom was strong and a good human. She had her struggles and wasn’t perfect, but she taught us how to rise no matter what.”

Mental illness is an inconvenience. There are days we wake up and feel off and think, ugh, not today. Because we know it's going to be a day we struggle with our mental health.

Mommy can always fix what’s bothering a child: a lost pacifier, or a bad dream. But she doesn't have superpowers.

Am I the only mom struggling with my mental health? Am I the only mom who’s exhausted but can't fall asleep at night because I worry about everything?

Somewhere there’s a mom just like you. A mom is stressed out with the list of invisible and visible tasks to be done too.

It’s been a long winter for us moms. And those of us who were struggling before the pandemic are basically drowning now.

“Why didn’t you catch her?” I yelled at my mom as the baby flew face forward down the slide. "You can't always catch her. Besides, she put her hands out." My mom answered.

I want to tell you about the “you” I remember from my eyes. I could tell the days were long for you, but our world was always moving fast.

“What did you accomplish all day, mama?” There was no evidence of things accomplished, but you did a lot. You swear!