Real Mom Talk: Can I Cry Now?

This week has been a roller coaster of emotion. Sunday, I enjoyed my first Cotton Babies holiday party, celebrating an amazing year of hard work with my new co-workers. It was amazing to be a part of this tremendous company and to see all the hard work invested before I joined the team. At the same time I was celebrating with my co-workers, my husband was in the air, on a flight bound for out of state training. After our party, I rushed to assist a holiday stage production for a few hours before returning home to put my children to bed, well past their bedtime.

I managed to get everyone to all their places on time Monday morning, only to encounter unexpected issues from our Cyber Monday sales when I arrived at the office. Yes, we know Cotton Babies made mistakes, we are human. Our very human team worked very hard this past Monday to do all we could to make it right. It was an emotionally exhausting day and when 5 p.m. hit, I ran out the door to pick up my four children. I'm not too proud to admit, I picked up Happy Meals on the way home to soothe all of our weary spirits.

Tuesday started off early with a child threatening to vomit, running late and a few extra errands added to my busy day. Today, I'm running on more caffeine than my thirty-something body likes to ingest and I admit, I've eaten more than my fair share of dark chocolates in the last 48 hours. I've even put myself to bed way earlier than normal, just to cope with the exhaustion of my temporary single parenting.

I know there are many single parents that do what I'm doing day in and day out with no end in sight. I know military mamas that do an amazing job holding families together for months on end during deployments. I know my husband will step through the front door in just a few days, that I have a warm house, that I can fill my fridge with food (if I could find time to shop) and that I have the luxury of going through a drive through. I feel bad for complaining. And yet, the stress of being outside of my normal routine, and the addition of a few hormones, make me want to crawl in bed and cry.

Let's face it, being a mom is incredibly difficult, no matter the external circumstances. We all have days, weeks or seasons of life that are particularly difficult for a variety of reasons. It seems these difficult times are more abundant around the holidays with the extra work load involved in holiday festivities, shopping, gift-giving, baking and extra family get-togethers with their intricacies.

I wish I could have sage advice for you today, but I don't have it. I'm tired and worn. So today, for Real Mom Talk, I ask you, what are your tips for when the going gets rough? How do you talk yourself “off the cliff” in a manner of speaking? How do you cope with the darkest days of parenthood and find a way to soldier on?