{This
is a collaborative post}
Being a mum can be a hard job. We often feel as though we are being pulled in dozens of different directions all at once, and it can seem like, no matter what we do and what choices we make, someone is judging and telling us it was the wrong decision. This can lead to unhappiness, and that is a shame. Being a parent is such a wonderful thing that letting others dictate your happiness means you miss out on the enjoyment of being a mum. Therefore, it needs to stop, and here are some excellent ways you can be a happy mum, enjoy your children, and forget about everyone else.
Find The Right Balance
Motherhood is a balancing act between being with your children and taking time for yourself, between working and staying at home, between being ‘you’ and being ‘mum’, and so much more. What works for one person in terms of balance might not work for another, which is why it is essential you work out what suits you. Then, of course, be willing to flex this in time if you need to.
For example, you might choose to work full-time, part-time, or not at all. You might work from home or prefer to go to an office. No matter which you choose, you will have your reasons, and you will work out your happiness from it. Don’t listen to anyone else about this; you need to do what’s best for you and your family. As time goes on, you can easily make adjustments depending on where you feel you are needed most, so remember that nothing is set in stone, and you can change anything that needs to be changed.
Perfect Doesn’t Exist
We often strive for perfection, but when it comes to parenting – and almost anything else in life – perfect doesn’t exist. It’s important to keep this in mind and know that loving your children and being loved back is what counts. If you have this, whatever else you do will be good enough, and good enough is something to strive for rather than perfection. I've written about the concept of good-enough parenting for over a decade now and I stand by it as a tool for happy parenthood.
If
you keep searching for perfection, you may never be the happy mum you deserve to be because you will be
looking for something that you can’t find and missing out on the fun and good
times you could have with your children. They won’t care if you or whatever you
are trying to do is perfect as long as you are there with them and fully present in the moment.
Don’t Compare
The internet is not an innately bad thing; it means you can find great prices on Bobux kids’ shoes and anything else your little one needs. Yet there are problems. It seems that human beings have always compared themselves to other people, but this has become easier and easier with the advent of social media. Now we can see what other people’s lives are like 24/7, and it can be a worrying thing, especially when we look at our own lives and don’t feel they measure up.
Yet social media does not portray all of real life. People only tend to post the very best parts of their lives there to show that everything is good and happy. You may even do the same and that's OK, but we must all remember this is the norm. People don’t tend to post anything about a tedious day or a day when nothing much happened. You should always take anything posted on social media with a pinch of salt and never compare anything you see to your own life. Everyone struggles, everyone has bad days, and you are not the only one who doesn’t have all the answers, or all the money to do all the fun things you see other families enjoying.
Comparing your life to other people’s will make you unhappy, so it’s best not to worry about anyone else and concentrate on making your life as good as possible for you and your children. I always choose to remember what Theodore Roosevelt said “comparison is the thief of joy”, and nothing is worth more than my joy!