Mom Of 3 Issues Beautiful Reminder About The Hard Days Of Parenting

"I haven't showered, eaten, or even gotten dressed for that matter and it's already after 2 p.m.."

A Maine blogger and mom of three issued an empowering reminder to parents who are currently in the throes of chaos and exhaustion.

Sarah Cottrell, who blogs at Housewife Plus, posted a selfie on Facebook with a moving caption.

“This is me. Right now. Trying not to pull my hair out,” she wrote, noting that she’s been trying to finish the laundry she started yesterday, do the dishes, deal with her loud, energetic children and so much more.

“Getting anything done in this house is dizzying. I haven’t showered, eaten, or even gotten dressed for that matter and it’s already after 2pm,” Cottrell wrote, adding that she feels frustrated and tired and decidedly not #blessed.

“But that’s what parenting is, right?” she continued. “It’s this crazy journey that is mostly rewarding but pock marked by sh*tty days like this one. These are the if-it-doesnt-kill-you kind of days.”

The Bangor-based mom has three children, ages 7, 4 and 2 months. Ultimately, Cottrell said she has to accept that she’s doing the best she can as a parent, even if she messes up sometimes. She concluded:

I won’t ever color neatly inside the lines of motherhood, but I love my kids with all my heart. And right now while the sink is full of dirty dishes, at least one kid is whining, and I smell faintly of pee and spit up (don’t ask) that big feeling of love is all I got.

And I call that a win.

Cottrell told HuffPost she was feeling particularly frazzled that day and decided to vent her frustrations on Facebook, in the hopes that other moms would understand.

“My kids are high energy and a ton of fun, but not even Wonder Woman could keep up with them and always be chill!” she said.

Cottrell said the response to her post has been overwhelmingly positive and the comments are full of stories and hacks from fellow parents. “My favorite was from a lady who told me to sing opera at the top of my lungs because it is so silly. I tried it and it felt great to release a big sound and instead of additional stress from shouting, the singing made my kids laugh. And we definitely needed laughter!”

Ultimately, the mom hopes other parents who read her post take away two main lessons: “First, that some days are just plain miserable. And second, that when it gets miserable, the best thing to do is remind yourself that the ugly parts are just temporary blips.”

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