The perfect mum? Does she exist? I’ve never met her.
But we keep hearing about her don’t we? On social media. In magazines. On Facebook.
The fact is I have actually never met anyone in real life who is perfect and I have never met anyone trying to be the perfect mum.
Most mums I know just want to get to the end of the day with everyone still alive.
I say f**k the concept of the perfect mum.
Let’s relegate her to the benches with the helicopter mums and the lawnmower parents. Let her rest with the ‘soccer moms’ and the ‘dance mum’.
Let her go.
Perfect mum, we know you are a figment of our imagination.
These are the types of mums I know. They aren’t perfect. They don’t want to be perfect. They are too happy being themselves:
The busy mum:
She has lots on and for good reason – she likes being busy. Her life is a timetable of drop-offs and pick-ups decorated by dozens of little Tupperware boxes of fruit consumed in the backseat of the car.
The thing with the busy mum is her kids generally like being busy. You won’t find this family having a lay in on a Saturday morning. They are too busy criss-crossing their city meeting their team obligations.
And they thrive on it.
Laid back mum:
This mum doesn’t plan much past the next day.
Her life is as-you-see-it.
Dinner? She will see what’s in the pantry.
There's a party this weekend? Oh that’s alright. We will pick up a pressie on the way.
The laid back mum is a joy to be around because nothing is a stress.
A few things might get missed. A few library books forget to be returned. A few play dates get forgotten, but it all works out in the end.
Born-to-be-a-mum mum:
This mum is amazing. The role was made for her. Nothing is too hard. Nothing is too much trouble. She glides from breast to bottle to slings to scooters. Never judging others. Always happy to be a mum.
You’ll never hear her complaining about how the baby doesn’t sleep – even if he doesn’t. You’ll never hear her complaining about how her hair is filled with vomit - even if it stinks.