The prevailing narrative surrounding motherhood tends to polarize women into two extremes: the overbearing helicopter parent and the inattentive one. However, my interactions within various maternal communities have revealed that mothers frequently go above and beyond for their children in countless unseen ways. Often, these efforts are uncomfortable, challenging, embarrassing, or even absurd. Yet, moms persist, driven by love and a unique sense of duty. Based on feedback from several mothers’ groups, here are 17 of the most outrageous, ridiculous, and occasionally heroic things mothers do for their kids.
- You will meticulously separate every piece of “plain pasta” from tortellini just so your child can have a meal.
- You will sit on the chilly toilet seat to warm it up for your 3-year-old, who insists it is too cold.
- If your colicky baby finally dozes off, you might find yourself frantically calling the local airport to request a temporary reroute of flights, hoping to maintain the precious silence.
- You might taste your own booger because your son insists it’s delicious and won’t stop until you try it.
- You will hide two cookies for your children after Sunday school, aware that chaos will ensue if they don’t have a treat, even as another child nearby melts down over the cookie shortage.
- At 3 a.m., you could find yourself standing naked in the kitchen, dipping your raw nipples into shot glasses of salt water while gently rocking a cradle with your foot.
- If you’re a new mom with a demanding commute, you may resort to pumping in an Amtrak bathroom twice a week, twice a day, for months on end.
- You might suck snot from your child’s nose and catch their vomit in your bare hands.
- You will go to great lengths to create the perfect kale chip: precisely three drops of olive oil and one grain of sea salt, hoping to encourage your child to eat vegetables.
- The early weeks of your baby’s life might be spent on a rigorous regimen of pumping and syringe-feeding, putting your own recovery on the back burner.
- You, who would fiercely defend your morning coffee, will allow your toddler to play with your (lockable) travel mug while cleverly hiding your real coffee stash.
- You will let your daughter enjoy the first tomato from the garden, and almost all that follow, despite your own deep love for tomatoes.
- You might hold in your own needs for the sake of your child’s comfort.
- You will gladly give your child the last bite of dessert, even if you were looking forward to it yourself.
- During a heatwave, you could find yourself driving around for two naps a day, searching for cool, quiet spots while listening to the same two lullabies on loop, moving every 30 minutes to keep the baby comfortable.
- While driving at 60 mph, you might hunch over a child in the backseat to nurse him, all while cleaning up a snack disaster created by your other child who is now crying from hunger.
- To calm your toddler, who is terrified of mannequins, you might walk through a department store tickling the dummies’ tummies.
In sum, when feelings of inadequacy arise, it’s essential to remember the lengths we go to in caring for our children. Yes, we may seem absurd or even selfish at times, but we would undoubtedly do it all over again.
For more insights into parental challenges, consider visiting March of Dimes for valuable information on pregnancy. Additionally, if you’re interested in fertility and family planning, check out Make a Mom’s Fertility Booster for Men and their Cryobaby At-Home Insemination Kit for expert advice.
Keyphrase: outrageous acts of motherhood
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