Motherhood is always challenging, but the last two years have really been a doozy. No one would be surprised to learn that there were incredibly difficult moments for all moms during these unprecedented times — and 2021 in particular.
The important thing to remember is that we are not alone. There are fellow moms who have had similar experiences and we are more similar than we realize — no matter how many children we have, where we live, whether we have a partner at home.
While we may have not always enjoyed every part of this past year, we can now reflect and take lessons learned from the difficulties and prepare for a great 2022.
Here are some hard moments that other moms have experienced this year:
The mental load was heavy
"The mental load! All the normal stuff plus COVID protocols, monitoring the slightest illness."
— Amy, mom of 2
All of the sickness
"All six of us had COVID on Thanksgiving and trying to take care of everyone [while I was also sick] was so hard."
— Grace, mom of 4
No sense of normalcy
"Kids started school and we could not see their classrooms and cannot go eat lunch with them."
— Carlee, mom of 2
Lack of support
"Learning that even though I’m married, I’m still like a single mother."
— Mary, mom of 2
Trying to keep it together
"Navigating an ongoing pandemic while trying to keep your sanity."
— Nicole, mom of 3
Trying to get kids to understand
"At the beginning of the year, I was hopeful that I wouldn’t have to teach my toddler how to wear a mask. This wasn’t the case. He is strong-willed so it has been a slow process trying to keep his mask on. While many people have 'moved on' and think the pandemic is over, those of us with infants and toddlers often feel forgotten."
— Kendra, mom of 1
Lost relationships
"Dealing with relationship disappointments. It’s hard to see friends and family for how they truly are and accept that reality."
— Shawn, mom of 2
Watching a child in pain
"I had to watch my (adult) daughter go through some pain this year and there was not much I could do about it. It was hard to let her be an adult and handle it."
— Donna, mom of 2
Being everything to everyone
"Being everything for my kids (chef, teacher, playmate, etc.) left me with nothing for myself. It took a big shift mentally to get out of this mode and find myself again."
— Kris, mom of 3
A new mindset was needed
"2021 has taught me that you have to do what makes you happy. I quit my long time job to help my husband run our company and took my boys out of public school to homeschool them. We live on our schedule and are free from the everyday burdens we once had."
— Rebecca, mom of 2
