Do you ever find yourself looking at adorable photos of your child staring up at you, or a candid photo where they’re holding your hand?

Seeing these photos gives me all the feels. In those moments, I know that being a mom is special and life affirming.

But as moms we also know there’s another side to those picture-perfect moments.

Like that family photo shoot where we’re all looking fantastic—but all I can remember is getting pooped on a few minutes before the camera started clicking.

Liquid poo all over my pants, I’m lovingly gazing at my newborn baby (for the camera) while I smell like poo and feel disgusting.

Being a mom is the most unglamorous role I’ve ever been in.  

I can’t count all the times I’ve been my caught at my most unglamorous. After running out the door to get kids to school I bump into a parent, a teacher, and the Principal in the schoolyard, only to get back in the car and realize my shirt’s inside out and I have smoothie on my upper lip. Sometimes I laugh and sometimes I cry.

Being a mom is hard going.

We’ve all been there. Whether we’re covered in baby food, dealing with lice, rushing a puking child to the toilet, or listening to a screaming teenager curse like a trucker, there’s nothing Disney about being a mom.

Feeling grimy, unkept, worn down, and overwhelmed go with the territory.

Talking about the underbelly of mothering is important because it helps us get real about the struggles and the shitty, messy side of being a mom.

It’s touching and beautiful but it’s also gross and disastrous some days.

Like that day my daughter hugged me and said “Mom, you smell like mustard.” Mustard is her favourite but I tell her, “I didn’t eat any today.”

“It’s okay mom, you always smell like mustard!”

Right. Of course I do. What a wonderful compliment.

Remember, you are not alone in the muck of mothering.

Been feeling unglamorous lately? I’d love to hear your mucky mothering stories in the comments below.

With love,

Carolyn