I don’t recall my mother losing her temper much when I was growing up. I do remember her looking skyward and sighing, “When you’re a mother, you’ll understand.”
Now that I have two little handfuls of my own who push me past my breaking point on a regular basis, I more than understand. And, I am humbled because truly, I had no idea.
I had no idea what tired was. I thought I understood about sleep deprivation because I’d pulled a few all-nighters in college. (Feel free to LOL at that one.) I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to wake up all night every night for months — years even — and never catch up.
I had no idea how much it hurts to love that hard. Whether I’m putting my hand on my daughter’s chest to make sure she’s still breathing or sleeping with the phone under my pillow while she’s at a sleepover, I never stop worrying, and I know I never will.
I had no idea how challenging it is to get dinner on the table every night when nobody ever likes what I make and half of it winds up in the trash…
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