I am a Good Mother!

Negative thinking and self doubt is just part of the package when you are suffering from PPD.  The thoughts can be overwhelming.  But, even on days when I am not feeling depressed I still tell myself I am a bad mother.  There are days when "bad mommy" thoughts are pretty much universal.

"I cannot get the 3 year old to do anything she is supposed to, I am a bad Mom."

"No matter what I try, I cannot get this baby to go to sleep.  He wants his Dad, I am a bad Mom."

"I don't feel like cooking a healthy dinner tonight, I don't feel like cooking at all, I am ordering a pizza, I am a bad Mom."

"I have been yelling all day...I am a bad Mom."

"My kid is crying, but I am tired and I don't want to get out of bed.  I am a bad Mom."

Any of those thoughts sound familiar.  I could keep adding to the list for hours, but I won't put us through that.


This week both of my kids were sick, with what seemed like a pretty mild cold.  Even with a mild cold, I have to watch my three year old like a hawk.  Cold plus her allergies can trigger an asthma attack.   This is a relatively new issue for her, so I am still navigating the waters of when to give her a nebulizer treatment or not.  This week I recognized when her cough was getting worse, gave her treatments for one day, and had a kid that was 90% better the next day....Hey!  I am a good mother!

My son started out with the same kind of cough his sister had started with.  His nose was not running at first, so I figured post nasal drip was causing his cough.  Then he threw up twice in one afternoon.  Initially I thought he had the stomach bug, but then realized it was the build up of the mucus causing his tummy upset.  He seemed fine for the most part, he was happy and playing.  The next day he got sick once, and was a little more clingy than usual, but was mostly his happy self.  Then he got sick in the wee hours of the morning...and just didn't seem right to me.  He never had a fever, but he just was not himself.  So I took him to the doctor Friday morning.  I didn't want him to get worse over the weekend.  It turns out he had a bad ear infection in his right ear.  He has never had an ear infection before without a fever, neither of my kids have.  I trusted my instincts though, I knew that something wasn't right.  I am a good mother!

I have discovered that I have really good instincts when it comes to the health of my children.  There has been only one time that I have taken them to the doctor and it has just been a cold.  When it comes to figuring out whether or not my kids are sick I AM a good mom.

And you know what?  There are a lot of other things I do right too.  I challenge you today to take some time to think about the things that you are doing right, not the things you are doing wrong.  Make yourself a list of the Good Mom things that you do, and remember that none of us are perfect, but we all LOVE our kids.  I would love for you to share some of your good mom examples in the comment section.