The Hero and the Villain: A Mom’s Unseen Power

Hey, my beautiful mom tribe.

First, let me start by saying, I know I’ve been a little M.I.A. lately, I’ve been fully immersed in the whirlwind of motherhood, wrapping up a major chapter: my breastfeeding journey. After a long, emotional ride, I can proudly say that we are officially two weeks breastfeeding free. It’s been tough, rewarding, exhausting, and empowering all at once. I’m so grateful I stuck with it, but whew, what a journey.

Now, let’s be real: motherhood is a 24/7, no-days-off kind of job. Even when we’re sleeping, our minds are wide awake, replaying the day, worrying about what we missed, and of course, checking locations of our older kids while peeking in on the little ones to make sure they’re okay. There’s no “off” switch.

I know I’m not the only mom who struggles to ask for help around the house, mostly because it sometimes feels like our kids purposely don’t do it right so we’ll just do it ourselves. Sound familiar? But let’s give ourselves a little credit: if there’s one thing we moms master, it’s time management. Who else can wake up at 6 a.m., get three (or more!) kids dressed, fed, and out the door by 7:10, drop them off by 7:40, and clock into work by 8 a.m. looking like we haven’t run a marathon.

We are the force. And sometimes, we have to be both the push and the pull within that force. We don’t get to pause or break, we just snap that invisible cape back on and fly into the next challenge. We are our own heroes. We are the blueprint.

But let’s talk about the flip side, the part that stings a little. As our kids get older, we go from being their hero to, well… the villain. Especially during those preteen and teenage years. Suddenly, nothing we say is right, and everything we do is “too much.” We go from best friend to the bad guy, all because we want what’s best for them. And it hurts.

We can’t control everything, though we wish we could. That’s where faith comes in. When logic runs out and our hearts feel heavy, we lean into prayer. We breathe in. We breathe out. (Literally, I just did it.)

At the end of the day, we just want to raise kind, whole, confident humans. And to do that, we have to keep showing up as the best version of ourselves.

Mama, I know it’s hard. I know it feels like the storm won’t let up. But rain doesn’t last forever. So grab your umbrella, lace up your rain boots, snap on that cape (and maybe a mask too), and show up with grace.

You’re not alone. You never were.