Billboard Motherhood - Debunked

As young people, I think that it is pretty easy to identify what we are and what we are not.  As difficult as the journey to adulthood is, there are many options that are not necessarily defined as good or bad.   For example, I was very into performing arts.  I was interested in music and dance and literature.  I immersed myself in those kinds of activities and didn't really feel like I had to make apologies for not being an athlete or a brainiac.  I was comfortable being social and artsy and involved in colorful things.  I didn't make straight A's and I was okay with that.  I spent the bulk of my time doing extra-curricular activities and there was no way I could have done it all. 
    
  I had other friends that would stay up all hours of the night studying for tests.  These were the friends that made 4.0's and went on to great Universities.  I knew others who were really into athletics or student counsel and so on.  We had pretty clearly defined interests and I think, in all of our teenage awkwardness, we felt comfortable with our identity.
 
 Somehow, as we become Mothers, I think many of us lose that.  There becomes one Universal way to be a "good" Mother. We have all seen her; the Mother who's house is straight out of pinterest, her kids are dressed to the nine's, her makeup and hair are perfect, she runs her own business making crafts on etsy, she wears vintage clothes with a twist, she celebrates every holiday and birthday in style and amazing detail and posts it all on instagram and facebook for everyone to see.  Some of us may even know this Mother personally and can vouch for her authenticity.  I call her a "Billboard Mother."  She gets all the attention, she can be found all over the net and gracing our iphones daily.

So what!!

    That is only one way to be a Mother.  Just as all of us weren't cheerleaders or straight A students in high school, not all of us will be billboard Mothers.  It is wonderful to appreciate moments in another person's life or feel inspired by another persons talent, it is dangerous to strive to be the kind of Mother/person that does not come naturally.  Doing things that you enjoy will ensure enthusiasm and success in sharing them with your children.  Doing something that you think you should enjoy because you think it will make you a good mom is a recipe for disappointment.  The raw moments of Motherhood cannot be photographed or shared.  They happen in quiet moments in our hearts, usually, when we are not trying to make them happen. 
  
     Some of the least blog worthy moments are the ones that really define us as Mothers.  The ones that happen in our pajamas, with no make-up, at 2 a.m. The really hard days, those are the ones that count the most.  There are many ways to be a Mother, but there is only one way to be happy in Motherhood and that is to be you.