Are you tired of feeling mom guilt?
Mom guilt is that real and terrible feeling that you’re never able to do ALL the things you should be doing as a mom.
But the problem is right here in the first sentence.
Did you catch it?
It’s the word “SHOULD.”
It’s not a curse word, or even a word that is slightly offensive to anyone at all.
But to you and me, as moms, it needs to be.
SHOULD.
Sure, it’s just a simple verb. According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness.
Doesn’t that just sum up what mom life can feel like sometimes?
How does SHOULD contribute to mom guilt?
There’s no doubt that using the word “should” is a HUGE contributor to mom guilt.
As you read these sentences, think about how many you’ve said to yourself in the last few days:
“I should read to my kids more.”
“I should be more present.”
“If I want to be a present mom, I should stop looking at my phone all the time.”
“I should keep my voice calm all the time.”
“I should only feed my family organic foods.”
“To be a good mom, I should have a perfect house.”
“I should volunteer at their school more often.”
“I should host the perfect Pinterest-worthy birthday party.”
“For others to think I’m a good mom, I should have my kids involved in more activities.”
“I should have a completed baby book for each of my kids.”
“For my kids to feel connected to me, I should play with them for 20 minutes a day.”
“I should sing them bedtime songs.”
“I should workout everyday.”
“If I want my kids to succeed in school, I should limit their screen time better.”
“I should shower everyday.”
“I should spend less time working.”
“To set a good example for my kids, I should be better at self care.”
Mom Guilt Bingo
To give you a chuckle and a good visual about your own mom guilt, there’s a brand new printable in the Jen Bradley|MOMs Free Printables library: Mom Guilt Bingo!
To download and print your own copy of Mom Guilt Bingo, click right here or on the image below!
It is SO EASY to guilt ourselves for all the things we SHOULD be doing, isn’t it?
Mom guilt Is NOT productive
But here’s the thing, friend: mom guilt is NOT productive in any way, shape, or form.
Patterns of guilt over what we should be doing are NOT mentally healthy.
I loved this explanation about guilt from Maya Kahmala on goalcast.com:
“No matter what the source, guilt can become a constraining emotional backdrop, coloring everything we do. … The thing is, no matter what it looks like on the outside, over time, guilt becomes debilitating and toxic. While it may feel like guilt is an important reminder of our responsibilities, in reality it’s accomplishing just the opposite — it’s a deadweight that keeps us from stepping into our full power and potential.”
Oof.
Guilt is a deadweight that we lug around with us, pulling us down and away from the joy in motherhood we might experience otherwise.
Have you ever heard another mom say, “I am better off because I guilted myself into doing ____.”
Me either.
Sure, we may guilt ourselves into reading the extra story or throwing the Pinterest-perfect birthday party, but in the midst of the action, it is likely that we begin to feel resentment too.
Maud Purcell, a licensed clinical social worker, wrote this about guilt: “…excessive guilt is one of the biggest destroyers of self-esteem, individuality, creativity and personal development.”
Related article: 2o Easy Ways to Avoid Mommy Burnout
Moms and Self-Esteem
A recent study in Norway studied 85,000 mothers and mothers-to-be and their levels of self-esteem.
Researchers found that for most women, self-esteem rose for the first six months after giving birth, but then started on a slow decline that lasted at least for the next THREE YEARS.
And with each subsequent baby, this pattern of lowered self-esteem tended to repeat itself.
That means that a mom of three kids, each born approximately three years apart, could easily be looking at nine years of low self-esteem.
Why does this happen? “There is so much messaging out there, and it doesn’t just tell women that there is a right and wrong way to do this, but also that’s there’s a more right way than what they are doing. It’s, at best, exhausting. At worst, it evolves into significant self-doubt and depression,” reproductive psychiatrist Miriam Schultz says.
No Perfect Mothers
While we are so busy thinking about all things we should be doing to be a better mom, here’s the reality: There is NO WAY to be a perfect mother.
It is simply impossible to do all the things we think we should do.
Stressing ourselves out to meet an absolutely impossible goal can definitely be a recipe for disaster.
So let’s stop focusing on all the things we think we should be doing.
My all-time favorite quote about motherhood is by Jill Churchill:
“There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.”
Put down the idea of being a perfect mother, and let yourself be okay with being a good mom.
I promise you, mama, as long as you are trying, you are a good mom.
Your kids love you simply because you are their mother. Just keep going, and give yourself grace along the way.
How to Break Up With Should
First, I highly encourage you to take up this challenge:
Erase the word SHOULD from your vocabulary.
Break up with should for good. When you hear yourself say or think that you should or should not, catch yourself and rephrase.
Ask your kids to help you. If they’re under the age of 12, they will probably love the opportunity to serve as your personal “Should Police!”
Next, take a good look at your life, your schedule, and your priorities.
Decide on two or three non-negotiables for you as a mother.
For me, these are:
- being awake when my kids wake up in the morning
- putting down my phone at mealtimes and bedtime
- telling them sincerely that I love them everyday
That’s it. Those are the bottom-line-I will-do-these-as-if-my-life-depends-on-it habits and actions that define me as a mother.
Your two or three non-negotiables may be the same or hugely different.
And that’s okay.
No judgment necessary.
But choose a couple and start defining your motherhood based on those actions ONLY.
A few examples in overcoming mom guilt
Let me give you some examples:
In the past, I’d often I saying something like this to my husband, “I stunk at speaking nicely today. I know I should be a better mom…” and I’d spiral from there, thinking of all the ways I could be a better mom.
But here’s how it sounds now that I’ve decided to break up with should: “I stunk at speaking nicely today. I will try again tomorrow. But I was awake when the kids woke up, and I connected with them really well at lunchtime when we laughed about Hank the Cowdog.”
Or:
I used to say to myself, “I am the worst mom for not doing art projects with my kids. They do really enjoy them. I should just get over the mess it’ll make and do it.”
But now that I’m breaking up with should, I tell myself, “I really don’t like art projects, but I know it means a lot to my kids. I will look for something quick and easy that we could do outside together.”
There’s no more need to evaluate myself based on all the things I should be doing.
Breaking up with should means the we alleviate the constant evaluation of ourselves as mothers and start being real.
Where to begin
Start by saying this to yourself:
I can find things that I will change, I can return to the things that matter most that I AM doing, and I can find solutions that work for both me and my children.
Whether or not you or I make the Pinterest party doesn’t matter.
How we feel about ourselves as mothers (and as humans for that matter) will have a far greater impact on our children.
My own experience with mom guilt
Believe me, I know those nights of finally crawling into bed and reviewing the day and all the things I SHOULD have done.
Guilt has coursed though me as I’ve cried in my closet after yelling at my kids.
My tears have mingled with the shower water as I wonder if I’m measuring up.
I’ve fought fear after fear after fear as I boarded an airplane for a weekend away (to go to a conference about how to be a better mom no less!).
Last year, I closed the door to my room and lost it on Valentine’s Day when my kids thanked me for a great day – even though I couldn’t find the cute themed games I thought I’d prepped and forgot to make the pizza heart-shaped like I’d promised.
It is well past time to stop obsessing over what we should be doing.
Do the things that matter most TO YOU and your children.
Final thoughts about overcoming mom guilt
Deciding to take action and work against the debilitating feelings of mom guilt can help you find joy in motherhood again.
Join me, friend, and decide to break up with should and move past mom guilt!
Let’s make this a movement! Please share this blog with your mom friends.
Let’s work together to help moms break up with should for good and enjoy motherhood free from mom guilt.
And before you go, comment below that you are ready to start this now!
Related articles about motherhood:
–2o Ways to Avoid Mommy Burnout
–How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule
–How to Start Time Blocking for Moms – Mom Life Hacks 101
–7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals
What are your thoughts and experiences with mom guilt?
36 thoughts on “How to Actually Say Goodbye to Mom Guilt Forever”
This is a great article and I am on this movement with you. Thanks for sharing.
I’m going to bookmark this so that I can keep it available for when I need these reminders. Love this great article, especially the idea of formulating the non-negotiables!
I love this and I am on board! My kids are all in their 20’s now but the “shoulds” are still trying to creep their way in. I have been trying to break up with “should” for several months now. Thanks for bringing awareness to this topic!!
I loved this! We are so so hard on ourselves as mothers. And you’re so right, the guilt does us absolutely no good. Its just more time spent being unproductive. I love the idea of picking a few non-negotiable and sticking to it. You can’t do everything ALL THE TIME! Prioritizing is definitely key
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I find myself “should-ing” way too much. It’s like a sneaky way on not having unconditional love for myself. I also forgot about my “non-negotiables”- I’ve used them for dating and “dangers” when talking with my toddler, but really need to apply them to myself. Thank you again!
This is so good! The mom guilt is so real and hard. Life is all about balance but as mothers we rarely give ourselves grace and we need to! Your brain believes what you tell it. We need to take it easy and know we are doing the best we can! Thank you for sharing this!
This is such a beautiful and inspiring post for moms! Thanks for your words of wisdom
And encouragement!
I LOVE this! Down with mum guilt. Take action and forget the rest.
Amen. Amen and amen! Mom guilt is so real and awful. I have 5 kiddos from 13 to 1….so I’ve had a lot of practice at the “should of” game. I love the idea if picking non-negotiables and making sure those fit in my days.
I speak as a daughter who has a very close relationship with my parents and especially my mother. Nonetheless, her support has never slowed me down, rather it has pushed me to want to show her more and more what I am capable of.
Love this perspective. I’m guilty of the mom guilt of “should” as well. It holds us back as parents always focusing on what we should be doing instead of being proud of all the things we are already doing. Great way to look at it!
Love this perspective. I’m guilty of the mom guilt of “should” as well. It holds us back as parents always focusing on what we should be doing instead of being proud of all the things we are already doing. Great way to look at it!
Yes to all of this!!!! It’s so easy to be consumed with mom guilt but we HAVE to advocate ourselves and realize we are GREAT moms!
Thanks, Samantha! We are often doing so much better than we think we are!
This post really resonated with me. I always seem to have a to-do list that never ends and I often feel defeated by the end of the day. My husband often tells me to just do what I can but I can be such a perfectionist, it hurts. Maybe if I just tell myself, “I’ll try my best” instead of “I should”. Thanks so much for this eye-opening post.
I’m so glad to hear it, Corinne! I know exactly what you mean about the never-ending to-do list and the perfectionism. Both are a giant weight that we lug around. Changing my inner dialogue has been a huge step to help me become more of a “recovering perfectionist” – it’s still a work in progress!
Yep…I’m guilty of saying “should” too much. Time to let myself go easy from time to time!
Absolutely, Carri! Giving ourselves a break is so important – we are often way too critical of ourselves.
I use “should” a lot too. Wow!
Usually, I’d write I should break up with should lolz:)
Breaking up with it is surely the biggest step to overcoming mom’s guilt.
Nice post. Thanks.
Thanks so much for your comment! I did think about titling this post “Why Moms Should Break Up With Should” but then I caught myself!
This is a great article. I’ve thought about my word choice in that way before. Thank for shining the light on that matter.
That’s awesome, Aliya! Our words have such an impact on how we view and think about ourselves. Great point.
Yes to all of this! There are areas that will not be your strength and other areas where you will shine as a mama. No one woman can do it all!
Sonja, you are so right! Focusing on our strengths and learning to celebrate the strengths of others takes mental work, but it is so worth it! Thanks so much for your comment!
Mother or not, I think everyone can take something valuable away from this post! I know I can – such great advice!
-Madi xo | http://www.everydaywithmadirae.com
Madi, thanks so much for your sweet comment. And you are so right – this could totally apply to everyone, whether a mother or not. 🙂
This is so insightful! Mom guilt is huge and I hate that we put that pressure on ourselves when our kids just want us to love them!
Thank you, Ashley! I couldn’t agree with you more, lady!
Love this!! I think it is so important to highlight all of the things I DID DO, as opposed to those I “should” have done. It really helps to put things into perspective.
Thanks, Lauren! Yes, you are so right! Seeing ourselves in a positive light can be a huge shift!
This is a brilliant idea! I am breaking up with should today.
Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes. A million times over. The reframing with the “I will try again tomorrow” really resonates with me. Yes, we will try again tomorrow. Or in five minutes. I can’t tell you how much I love this post.
Btw, I feel the same way about “have to.” We often use it when we should say, “I get to.”
Working on both. Thanks!
I tell my husband all the time before bed all the things I should have done that day and it’s a never ending cycle. Going to have to get on this movement and remove it from my vocabulary.
Ugh. Mom guilt and should. You are right. I say “should” all of the time in my own head or when talking to my mom friends! I will be more aware…
I’m all about reducing mom guilt and I had never really thought about the word “should”… MIND BLOWN! Words have such power in our lives! I’m totally reframing the way I talk about things like this from now on! Great read!
Mom guilt is SO real…what a great article.