I remember the first time I discovered I was pregnant. I looked in disbelief at the pregnancy test. The joy that I felt was immediately overcome by concern.
Author of My Kitchen, My Classroom and creator of The Deliberate Mom
Author of My Kitchen, My Classroom and creator of The Deliberate Mom
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
I don't know where you're reading this. Perhaps you're sitting at your laptop, stealing a few minutes for yourself. Or maybe someone forwarded this to you at work. Or you're huddled on the toilet holding your smartphone with the bathroom door locked, and you're fighting back tears because this has been one of those awful days that you wish you could forget.
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, this message is for you, and it starts like this... you are enough.
Advertisement
Think about those words for a minute.
You are enough.
Like tasting a fine wine, sip those three words and swish them into the recesses of your mind.
You are enough...
I remember the first time I discovered I was pregnant. I looked in disbelief at the pregnancy test. The joy that I felt was immediately overcome by concern.
I had a few glasses of wine this month; I ate sushi and took medication... I'm already a bad mom. I'm not enough.
Advertisement
While in labor, I remember rocking back and forth, slow dancing with my husband and looking up at him with tears in my eyes. Fear set in.
How can I possibly care for another human being when I can barely do this birthing thing? What have I gotten myself into? I'm not enough.
Advertisement
Night after night, every three hours, I nursed my newborn back to sleep. As I held that beautiful baby in my arms, I fretted.
I'm exhausted; I'm worn; I just want to sleep. I'm selfish to be thinking about myself and the sleep I'm losing out on. I'm such a bad mom. I'm not enough.
A tumble down the stairs, a fall in the yard, a bump on the head and a trip to the emergency room... frightening moments in a young toddler's life. As I wipe my child's tears, I worry.
I can't keep up. I'm not fast enough; I'm not skilled enough; I'm not observant enough. I'm not enough.
Homework, tests, making and losing friends -- all the stresses of raising a school-aged child. As I think about this stage of life, I fill with anxiety.
Advertisement
I don't know what I'm doing. I don't understand this homework. I can't protect her from hurtful friends. Are her grades good enough? I'm not enough.
Going to work, staying at home, working at home... these life decisions overwhelm me.
What if I make the wrong decision? What if my work affects my relationship with my child? What if I'm not a good stay-at-home mom? I'm not enough.
I'm not enough. These words rob us of our joy and destroy our confidence in our ability to mother.
You need to know something, though... you are enough!
Whether you adopted, had a cesarean, had an intervention-free birth, took an epidural, birthed in a hospital or labored at home... you are enough.
Whether you nursed or bottle-fed, whether your child slept in your bed or in their own crib... you are enough.
Whether your child had a scratch, a bruise, stitches, a bump or a broken bone... you are enough.
Whether your child had decent or amazing grades, one friend or many friends... you are enough.
Whether you're a working mom or a stay-at-home-mom... you are enough.
I know this because there is a little someone who loves you and who looks at you with adoration. I know you're enough because there is someone who delights in being loved by you.
Advertisement
You're a mom. The fact that you think you're not enough indicates just how amazing you are. However, whether your children are weeks, years, or decades old, they need you to love yourself just as much as you love them. They need you to realize that you are enough.
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing... this message is for you.
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.