Motherhood: Taking Off the Mask

I have been guilty of wearing it on many occasions. It’s so easy to keep it on when out and about, when answering those “how’s everything going” questions. You know….the mask.

As a young mom I quickly learned about this mask that tends to be worn during motherhood. Although, I have to admit I don’t fully understand it. Somewhere in the midst of trying to stay positive and not putting our dirty laundry out for the world to see we as moms lose something. 

We accidently take our good intentions too far and we lose the honesty, the rawness of motherhood. We stop being REAL.

Can I just say that as a new young mom, there are times I desperately needed someone to be real with me. When I saw you, fellow mom in the grocery store, I needed you to put aside the “everything’s great, motherhood is so beautiful” line and say the REAL thing, the “motherhood IS great, but I’m SO beyond exhausted and I would give ANYTHING for 5 minutes to myself” truth. When I saw you veteran mom at church, I needed you to put away the “I have it all together” show and let some of the “I’m just as disorganized and imperfect as you” realness shine through. When I came to that play date at your house, friend, I needed you to forget about the perfectly clean house, perfectly healthy meals, perfectly well behaved children act and I needed to see a little more of the scattered undone laundry, and “yes, my kids had McDonalds for lunch too”  honesty.

I understand that as moms we are all striving to be organized, and healthy, and somewhat put together. I understand and appreciate the fact that we are all working to be the best mom, wife, employee, friend we can possibly be. BUT, sometimes, I NEEDED to see the flaws, the fall downs, the imperfection (and I have to believe I am not the only one who has ever needed to see this). Not so that I could think less of you, or think more highly of myself as a mom, but because I needed to know that I was not alone…That I am still not alone.

So moms, this is a cry out to you. And really, people in general this is a cry out to you, a cry to put the mask up on the shelf; a cry for you to PLEASE at the risk of someone thinking less of you, BE REAL… Be positive. Be an encouragement. BUT, also be honest. It’s ok for other’s to see the imperfections, in fact, I’ve found they actually like you MORE when they see, that just like them, you have struggles too. You never know who just desperately needs to see that they are not alone, that you, just like them have struggles, have shortcomings, and do not have it all together.  

…AND no, I do not have a Scripture basis that says “Moms, thou shalt be real” J. BUT, I do believe Scripture calls us to do life together and to be bearers of each other’s burdens, which is impossible without being real…

Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”