To thine own self be true

Shakespeare was a smart man...that might be an understatement, but needless to say he knew a bit about life.  And, this is something that I - as a mother - strive to have.  The problem comes when I look at all of the other mothers around me and realize that they're doing such a better job at being a mother.  I try to do the things that they do, but I fail.  So, I'm going to take a little Shakespearean advice and be true to my own self.

I teach a lot of fitness classes and, during these, continually remind my clients that no two people have the same body.  Therefore, no two people's bodies will function exactly the same.  We have to recognize the movements and strengths within our own bodies and then realize the limitations that we have so that we don't injure ourselves.  This thought is also true with life and being a mother.  No two mothers are the same.  And, each of us has our own strengths and limitations.  Realizing and incorporating these into our lives is important so that, just as in exercise, we don't injure ourselves.  While this injury may not always be physical, the emotional and mental damages can be just as devastating.

So, here's an activity for all of you to do...take five minutes during your day to just sit and breathe.  Think about what you're good at and what you're not good at.  For me, I'm good at laughing - I LOVE to do it and I love to make my baby laugh.  I'm not good at leaving my baby by herself so that I can do other things.  She is almost always attached to me.  Now, I've realized how to incorporate these things into my daily life so that I can better function as a mom and a woman.  I have found that my daughter loves to play with blocks and balls.  I found this while trying to make my daughter laugh.  Now, I have realized that I can set my daughter down with the blocks and/or balls and she will be happy playing for a few minutes while I go change a load of laundry or run to the bathroom.  Granted, I still have my limitation that I don't like to be away from her, but I've been able to adapt and work on my own weaknesses as a mom.

Being true to myself with what I can and cannot (or will not) do has helped me to realize that I don't need to be exactly like the perfect moms that I see all around me.  In fact, if I were to ask, I bet none of those moms would think they're perfect.  I am a good mom when I show my daughter what it means to be true to yourself.