Only a mother knows and understands the happiness, frustration, depression, excitement, exhaustion and the euphoria one feels while raising her child. But parenting isn’t easy, it’s a 24/7 responsibility for the most of a mother’s life. It is something people who are not mothers would not be able to fathom. In this process, if the mother is lucky to have a supportive husband, it means the world to her. Kate Douglas, a stay-at-home mom, had reached the limit and she couldn’t take it anymore. So, she left her two boys with her husband and went out.
Kate, like many mothers, had decided to put a hold on her career to raise her sons. While she adores her boys, that particular day, the boys, who are two and five, wore her out with their energy and tantrums. That day was a particularly difficult one and the day didn’t seem to end for Kate. By the time her husband got back home, he saw an exhausted and defeated wife. Keeping up with the energy of two boys, answering all their questions, cooking for them, bathing them, managing the household, and dealing with their tantrums is an everyday affair for Kate. But, that day was worse than the others and she couldn’t take it anymore.
So, when her husband arrived home, she knew she just had to step out, even if it was just for a couple of hours. She wrote on Facebook that she felt ‘defeated’ by the end of the day and for her sons, she said, “they won”.
When she came back after a couple of hours, she saw the most heartwarming status update that her husband had put up. In that update on Facebook, he talked about what his wife had to go through on an average day. He said that, unlike him, there were no set hours of work for her; it was a 24/7 job. There are also no rewards or bonuses for all the extra hours she put in towards their children and their household. There is no concept of weekends for her, nor are there any kind of leaves- sick, annual, public holiday. Every day is the same for her. She has no special meals to look forward to; after all, that too is done by her.
He goes on to say that she became a mom on 3/5/11 and it became even more hectic for her when on 6/8/14 another little one arrived on the scene. It has been like this for her every single day for all these years. These boys have an abundance of energy and they never stop; according to him. This can drive anyone up to the wall, but she has never quit or asked for a pay raise or made any kind of demand to deal with the frustrations of this job. He then describes how that particular day went for her.
Their sons slept on the beds that were made and washed by her. When they woke up from their nice warm beds and she already had their breakfast ready. To get that breakfast on the table, she had to organize a shopping list a week before that day so that everything that was needed was there. The oldest son goes to the daycare so his lunchbox had to be prepared while worrying whether she put enough food for him so that he doesn’t go hungry and worrying about whether the food was healthy enough for him. In the meantime, the younger one was clinging on to her legs, arm, shoulder. Finally, after getting the older one ready she dropped him off at the daycare but there she spent an hour with him. He needed to be comforted because he was having a bad day. She cooed to him and assured him that his mum would always be there for him.
After getting back home, the only person she had to have a conversation with was her 2-year-old, with whom babbled away through the day and she tried to potty train him, and teach him other things that would eventually help him in his transition from a toddler to a big boy. She then fed him and put him to sleep for a brief nap to help him conserve the energy for the rest of the day. In that little span of time, she tried to rest a bit and then went on with the rest of the household work. It was then time to pick up the older one from daycare and then take him for their appointments and check-ups which assures her that they are as healthy as possible. Then spend more babbling with them and fed them dinner, and for the first time in the whole day had a proper conversation after her husband arrived home. Of course, that conversation was interspersed with solving world issues, never once stopping being mom.
He ends this absolutely heart-melting post with this: “So when you see a bad day, I see an amazing woman who never calls in sick, never quits, never turns her back on the hard days and who has the power to go to bed knowing it will happen all again tomorrow. You are an amazing and fabulous mother, even though it doesn’t seem like it, you are the greatest thing in these boys lives and we love you, for everything you do.”
This message must have surely lifted her spirits. Motherhood is mostly a thankless job; who wouldn’t feel wonderful to be appreciated like this?
