Guilt

I've found that feeling guilty has been a very common theme throughout this early stage of motherhood. I have this daily struggle with myself about whether or not I spent enough time with my son. Did I show him attention when he needed it most? Did he feel like I was ignoring him at all today? But the big one for me that always seems to kick me down is: did I spend enough quality time with him? 

I'm a stay at home mom, so all my days (and nights) are spent with my son. It's very rare that I am not with him. You would think that being a stay at home mom would allow me to spend every waking hour planning and doing fun activities with my little one, every single day of the week, but unfortunately that's just not reality. I still have laundry to get done, meals to cook, cleaning to do, errands to run...the list is endless. Don't get me wrong, I am not doing all of these things on a daily basis. I still find time during the day to let my son dictate what's happening right then and there, and I will put any chore on the back burner if need be. He will always come first. But no matter how balanced my household responsibilities and time with my son are, I still find myself wondering if the quality of time spent was enough. 

I've heard from other mom's that this feeling of guilt never truly goes away, that you feel it at all stages of parenthood. I think the best way to combat that feeling so it doesn't take over, is to take a step back and remember what is most important. For me, it's reminding myself that I did in fact spend quality time with my son, and recalling those moments during the day. I also try to remind myself that I'm not perfect, and no where near it. So the days where I maybe spent a little to much time doing something else, rather than sitting down and reading that book, or building that tower with my son, are not worth dwelling on. There are far more times that I've spent quality time with him, that he won't even remember the days where I feel like I messed up. I don't like to say "there's always tomorrow" because we aren't guaranteed tomorrow, but there are definitely memories that we've made with our little ones that are enough. In my eyes, if you are feeling that guilt, then it makes you a great parent because it shows that you actually care!