SHE
SHE WAS
SHE WAS RAW AND HONEST ABOUT HOW SHE FEELS AS A MOTHER.
I ASKED HER TO SHARE HER STORY
WITH OUR VILLAGE.
>> I MISS MY OLD LIFE SO MUCH.
I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW MY OLD
LIFE WAS LIKE, IT HAS BEEN SO
LONG. AND YOU FEEL GUILTY FOR
SAYING THAT BECAUSE YOU WANTED
THESE BABIES AND YOU FANTASIZE
WHAT DAYS WILL BE LIKE, TAKING
THEM TO THE ZOO OR HAVING
PICNICS.
PICNICS.
PICNICS. BUT WHAT YOU IMAGINE ISN'T WHAT
ALWAYS HAPPENS.
ALWAYS HAPPENS. SOCIAL MEDIA IS HARD BECAUSE
YOU SEE A PICTURE OF A BABY
SMILING AT THE SWIMMING POOL
BUT WHAT IT TOOK FOR THAT MOM
TO GET THE BABY TO THE POOL WAS
PROBABLY CRYING AND FUSSING AND
STRUGGLING TO GET THE BABY IN
THE CAR AND GETTING ALL OF THE
SNACKS TOGETHER AND NOT
FORGETTING DIAPERS AND WIPES
AND WATER BOTTLES. SO THERE IS
ALL OF THE STUFF THAT GOES INTO
IT BEHIND THE SCENES THAT MAKES
THE MOMENT THAT YOU ARE SEEING
POSSIBLE, IT IS SPECIAL TO BE
ABLE TO CAPTURE THOSE MOMENTS
THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY BUT AT THE
SAME TIME, IT IS NOT ALWAYS
PICTURE-PERFECT THE WAY THAT IT
IS SHOWN THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.
I HAD TOLD TRAVIS THAT IT WAS A
REALLY HARD DAY AND I WAS
TELLING THEM ABOUT IT WHEN WE
WERE SITTING AT DINNER, GOING
TO BED, I LEANED OVER TO TURN
OFF THE LAMP AND TRAVIS JUST
SAID, YOU ARE A GOOD MOM AND
WITHOUT EVEN HESITATING, I
SAID, NO I AM NOT.
AND I'M GOING TO GET EMOTIONAL.
IT CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD BECAUSE
I WANT TO THINK OF MYSELF AS A
GOOD MOM BUT I DON'T AND THAT
IS REALLY HARD TO COME TO GRIPS
WITH.
WITH.
WITH. BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST
PERSON, YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST
MOM TO YOUR LITTLE BOYS AND
GIRLS BECAUSE YOU LOVE THEM SO
MUCH. AND SO TO COME TO GRIPS
WITH THAT REALIZATION THAT I
DON'T THINK I AM A GOOD MOM WAS
REALLY HARD.
>>
>> I
>> I FEEL
>> I FEEL LIKE IT JUST TAKES ONE PERSON TO SAY, I FEEL LIKE
A FAILURE.
A FAILURE. I FEEL LIKE I AM HAVING A ROUGH
DAY.
DAY.
DAY. I
DAY. I FEEL LIKE MY KIDS HATE ME.
I FEEL LIKE I CANNOT DO
ANYTHING RIGHT.
ANYTHING RIGHT. I FEEL LIKE IT TAKES ONE PERSON
TO SAY THAT IN ORDER TO STRIKE
A CHORD IN SOMEONE ELSE.
TO SAY, I FEEL THAT WAY, TOO.
AND TO SAY, I REMEMBER FEELING
THAT WAY OR I FEEL THAT WAY
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. SO I THINK THAT IS REALLY
ENCOURAGING TO KNOW THAT OTHER
PEOPLE FEEL THAT WAY AND IT IS
NOT JUST YOU.
>> THE MESSAGE HERE IS THAT YOU
ARE NOT ALONE AND YOU ARE A
GREAT PARENT.
GREAT PARENT. DON'T LET THE PRESSURES OF
SOCIAL MEDIA OR SOCIETY GET TO
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. SHARE YOUR STRUGGLES WITH YOUR
VILLAGE AND YOU MIGHT BE
SURPRISED HOW MANY OTHERS HAVE
FELT THAT WAY OR CURRENTLY FEEL
THAT WAY.
THAT WAY.
THAT WAY. BY THE WAY, FOR MOM TALK,
FOLLOW ALLISON.WEEMS ON
INSTAGRAM.
INSTAGRAM. >>> AND THOSE DAYS ARE SO FEW
AND FAR BETWEEN BUT AS PARENTS,
YOU INEVITABLY WILL HAVE ONE OF
THOSE REALLY ROUGH DAYS WHERE
YOU ARE LIKE, REMEMBER THE DAY
THAT I COULD JUST GO HOME AND
TAKE A NAP OR WATCH A MOVIE AND
YOU CAN MEASURE OLD LIFE AND IT
IS OKAY TO FEEL THAT WAY.
>> IT IS ALSO OKAY TO TAKE A
BREAK SOMETIMES.
BREAK SOMETIMES. IT TOOK YEARS TO LEARN TO GIVE
MYSELF A BREAK.
AND JUST TO BE EASY ON YOURSELF
. YOU WILL BE YOUR WORST CRITIC
OF ALL TIMES.
TO ME, THAT IS THE ONE THING
THEY NEED.
THEY NEED. >> MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION WAS
TO BE OKAY WITH ASKING FOR HELP.
AND THIS KIND OF WRAPS IT ALL
UP.
UP.
UP. THAT
UP. THAT YOU HAVE TO BE OKAY WITH
ASKING FOR HELP BECAUSE IN THE
END, YOU WILL BE A BETTER PARENT
. IF YOU NEED THAT BREAK EVEN
IF IT IS JUST FOR FIVE MINUTES,
ASK FOR IT.
>> AND FEEL THE EMOTIONS
BECAUSE YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH
IT AND MOVE ON AND KNOW THAT