The more I do, the more I respect my mother, and all mothers of her generation. This stuff is HARD. The sleep deprivation alone makes everything at least twice as hard. Then there's the emotional/hormonal roller coaster that sometimes makes even the smallest thing seem as difficult as climbing Mt. Everest, and of course the sleep deprivation makes that even worse.
I'm not the world's best housekeeper, but I generally do my best to keep a clean house. That of course is impossible, so my bathrooms are disgusting and the floors are covered in dirt and cat hair. Dirty dishes pile up, but I do insist on cleaning the kitchen as much as possible. I've got about a 15 minute window of grace in the mornings when she's quiet and alert. If I'm quick, I can make breakfast (instant oatmeal, most of the time) and unload then load the dishwasher.
But I have resources my mother didn't. I had classes to give me some preparation. I have the internet to find information, and forums where I can talk to experienced moms all over the country. And I still feel under-informed, inadequate, and overwhelmed. Walking into this situation with even less information had to be terrifying. And yet they did it.
I look back at my childhood and I finally have the smallest idea of everything my mother did for me. And my respect continues to grow. Thank you for everything, to every mom out there.
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