Honest motherhood

What is honest motherhood? ⠀⠀

By formal definition it’s the act of being truthful and sincere in one’s motherhood journey. ⠀⠀

By my definition it’s sharing the highs and lows, the embarrassing and the unfiltered, the real and the raw in its entirety for better and for worse when it comes to raising little humans.⠀⠀

I think most of us share our journey honestly whether online, with our closest friends or family members but when you do you can feel as though others perceive your motherhood journey as something you are struggling to enjoy.⠀⠀⠀

Sharing the hard parts of motherhood doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy your role, or that you are somehow ungrateful, or that you can’t wait for the chapter to be over.⠀⠀

The hardest jobs can be the most rewarding.⠀⠀

The testing times can end in the most beautiful moments.⠀⠀

The negatives don’t have to outweigh the positives.⠀⠀

My former job as a family lawyer was one of the hardest things I have done. It drained me mentally and emotionally every single day for over 5 years. I shared this with my closest friends and family. But this was a job I loved and was extremely passionate about. The fulfilment I got from seeing a child in a safe home, a parent seeing their child for the first time in months, or a victim acquiring safety against the perpetrator was next to none. The stress, the sleepless nights, the long hours were all forgotten in an instant.⠀⠀

The sharing of the hard parts with those closest to me, didn’t mean that I didn’t love my job and the same can be said with my motherhood journey. ⠀

Sometimes it can be testing. Sometimes I can’t wait for the day to be over. Sometimes it feels like the hardest thing I have ever done. However, forever it will be the best job I have ever had. It has changed me, rearranged me, completed me. I love being a mother, absolutely, completely, entirely. This should not be forgotten.⠀⠀

Sharing honestly, no matter our audience (online or not) is important because knowledge is power and the sharing of knowledge helps to make us all powerful. However, honesty shouldn’t be seen for only the hardships because some of the biggest hardships bring the most joy.