I’m a perfectly imperfect working mom. This is my written confession.

Dear Little Man,

“Make it work” is the mantra of many working moms. Well, I didn’t today.

I woke up late because the thought of 10 more minutes of precious sleep was just too good to pass up. In fact, it was too good to pass up three times. I missed my morning gym time and the only clean clothes I could find were also wrinkled.

I forgot to let my boss know I was taking our older dog to a vet appointment this morning and would be in late. So, I emailed her from my phone, dog under one arm, as I walked out the door–while at the same time reminding your dad to bring more diapers and wipes to daycare. The reason for this morning’s vet appointment was because our dog had a “hot spot” on his tail that was looking a bit painful. The vet informed me this spot was infected, and I immediately felt guilty for not bringing our dog in sooner. Luckily, our dog is in generally good health, Dr. Good at Town & Country Vet Clinic is amazing, and antibiotics are a wonderful thing. 

I couldn’t dig myself out of the avalanche of emails I received this morning when I finally got to the office. And I’m still having problems navigating that new software program, which means an honest mistake caused a big headache today. The problem was fixed, but my pride? Well, let’s just say that’s still under repair.

I walked into daycare to pick you up. All the kids and teachers were wearing red, because red was the color of the day, of course. You stuck out in gray and blue.

We swung by the Chick-fil-A drive through because I forgot to thaw chicken to grill for dinner. I ordered nuggets (not grilled), waffle fries (not a fruit cup), and chocolate milk for you. And I definitely didn’t order a salad for myself.

I became frustrated with you during bath time because, well…you’re a toddler. You refused to sit down in the tub, refused to try the potty, and refused to brush your teeth. So we raced through bath time and skipped the potty attempt and teeth brushing. I gave you a small cup of milk and pulled you onto my lap for a few minutes of TV before bed.

That’s when you snuggled into my tired body. All night long I’d been waiting for bedtime, and now I didn’t want to let you go. I ran my fingers over your freshly washed hair, kissed your head, and took in every single second of this moment. You and I have sat in this recliner together every single night since you were only a few months old, but tonight it was different. It pulled me out of the pity party I had been throwing myself since 8:00 a.m. that morning (believe me, it was a rager). More importantly, you made me realize that “making it work” does not mean “making it perfect.”

You woke up smiling and learned new things today at school. You had waffle “flies” with dinner, which is one of your favorite foods right now. Your best furry friend is feeling better. You were safe. But most of all, you were happy and loved today–by your teachers, by your dad, and by me. You had no idea it was a tough day for me because your day was AWESOME.

Little man, you’re eventually going to learn that I forget things. I get impatient. I don’t have time for Pinterest crafts and I tend to run late. I’m a terrible procrastinator. You’re still at an age where I can do no wrong, but one day, you’re going to be as exasperated with me as I was with you today. But I hope you always know that I’m truly trying my best and that no matter what kind of day I have–or you have–you will always be safe and loved.

Love,
Your Perfectly Imperfect Working Mom