Being a mum!

I don't normally watch TV during the day, but earlier this week happened to switch on Oprah and caught a show all about mums and the things they do not admit to or tell their friends. It was an eye opening episode!

I got married late in life, at age 45 and had children even later, at 51. I thought I was prepared for being a parent, that I had the maturity and patience to deal with children. I worked in a job I absolutely loved and planned to return to work after the boys were born, but I was totally unprepared for how much my life was about to change! First of all we had twins! I knew it was a possibility, we had IVF treatment after all, so I wasn't too surprised. Chuck and I brought the boys home and coped on our own, got the twins into a routine and settled down into our new life with children. Then I got laid off, three days before I was due back to work. It was a huge disappointment!

So Chuck went back to work and I settled into my new life as a stay at home mum. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and this is where that Oprah show comes in. Few mums I know will admit that being a parent is tough. None will tell you they sit their children in front of the TV to get a few hours of peace and quiet. That they don't bath their children every night, or even once a week! That teeth don't always get brushed for two minutes, or indeed every day! It was an incredibly refreshing and honest show. Being a mum is not always the most rewarding job in the world. It's hard, lonely, frustrating and boring! I love my boys, I couldn't imagine my life without them, but this is not all it's cracked up to be. That's why I so loved Oprah's show. It was honest and genuine and about time that us mums told it the way it was!

And I am going to 'fess up..........

I have done - and still do - use the TV to babysit my children!

I do not remember to clean their teeth every day!

They do not have 5 servings of veggies and/or fruit daily.

Candy is great for bribes.

They don't always get clean clothes or socks for school.

I sometimes tell them it's later than it actually is, so I can put them to bed earlier!

I don't give them a bath every day.

Wipes are great for cleaning faces, feet and sticking down unruly hair!

I do not get to shower every day!

I am not alone, there are millions of mums out there who are doing the same as I am. We struggle through the day dealing with tantrums and fights and whining. We don't get too much adult conversation and rarely get out of our t-shirts and sweat pants. We clean house, cook meals and do grocery shopping. There's always laundry lying in wait for us and messes to clean up. We make appointments for when the children are in school or on play dates, we spend our days rushing from pillar to post and back again.

At the end of the day, we all love our children dearly, we have all given up so much to have them and raise them! I wouldn't be without my boys, but it's so nice to know that I am not alone in my 'failings'. That I am not a bad mum, I am just someone doing the very best that I can! We should all be proud of ourselves!