18 Feb No one warned me about mum guilt
When you announce you’re pregnant, you hear the same warnings. You’ll never sleep again, enjoy the peace while you can, say goodbye to your money, aren’t you scared about the birth? So, when baby comes along, these things aren’t a surprise and are generally what we associate with motherhood. What no one warns you about is what I consider to be the worst part of being a mum…. mum guilt!
Ever since I gave birth, I’ve had mum guilt most weeks and I can’t believe no one even mentioned it. Having spoken to friends who have children, this is pretty universal and every mum I know experiences it. mum guilt is a well-known term but I’m sure there are plenty of dads who experience the same feelings. At work I feel guilty for not being with my daughter and missing out. At home I feel guilty for missing work and colleagues having to pick things up for me. If I have to stay home to do chores or wait for a delivery, I feel guilty for not taking my toddler to do something fun. The guilt just never stops and at a certain point you just have to embrace it and learn to accept it. I always feel like I could be doing more, doing better.
I am slowly learning not to be so hard on myself and hope that by talking about it, we can all learn to do the same. By supporting one another, we can lift each other up when we’re doubting ourselves. Parenting is tough and we are all just doing our best. So please, support the mums and dads around you and if you think they’re doing a great job, tell them!
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