DENVER FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER
EMBRACING CHAOS THROUGH THE LENS OF LIFE
Do you ever feel like there are not enough hours in the day? I’m a wife, Mom of two young boys and a small business owner. I’m currently writing this blog whilst breastfeeding my baby. I’m looking around the room and chaos surrounds me. There are pencils scattered across my dining table, a half-finished cup of tea on the kitchen counter, and a pile of laundry that’s on day two of sitting on my sofa. Running a business with a baby, a 6-year-old and no family nearby to ease the load, means I need to multi-task as much as possible, yet I always feel like I’ve not done enough every day. Amidst the beautiful chaos of motherhood and photography, there's also the constant responsibility of managing a home. The mental load of planning meals, grocery shopping, cleaning, and maintaining a household can feel overwhelming at times.
Motherhood is a journey filled with joy, love, and countless precious moments. However, it's also a delicate balancing act, requiring mothers to navigate multiple responsibilities with grace and resilience. From the moment our children enter our lives, we are thrust into a whirlwind of duties – nurturing, teaching, guiding, and loving – all while attempting to maintain some semblance of sanity in the midst of chaos.
This season of motherhood is anything but easy; it's a rollercoaster of emotions, and guilt seems to be a constant companion.
Running my own business, allows me to pursue my passion and be present for my family. However, with this wonderful opportunity comes the struggle of balancing my time between work, my children and my home.
When I dedicate time to my business, I can't help but feel a pang of guilt for not being fully present with my children. When I do spend more time with them, I feel guilty for not focusing on my business. Emails left on read and social media (which seems like a requirement for business owners these days) abandoned.
It's a tug of war that plays out within me every single day. Balancing everything as a mother is a constant exercise in prioritization – a delicate balancing act of meeting the needs of our children, our partners, our families, and ourselves. It's about learning to say no to the things that don't serve us, and yes to the things that bring us joy and fulfillment. It's about finding moments of stillness amidst the chaos, and embracing the imperfections that make us human.
I'm not going to sugarcoat it – motherhood is hard. It's messy, exhausting, and at times, downright overwhelming. There are days when I feel like I'm failing miserably, moments when doubt creeps in and whispers that I'm not doing enough. But here's the thing – I am enough. I am exactly what my children need.
I don’t write this blog to seek sympathy or to find a solution to this guilt. This is just me, raw and unfiltered, sharing my perspective as a mother who cherishes her children and values her career.
Mothers set high standards for themselves, but it's important to recognize that perfection is an unattainable ideal. Learning to appreciate the beauty in imperfection allows for a more compassionate and realistic approach to daily challenges.
I don’t have the answers on how to juggle motherhood and a career without guilt. But I'm learning to embrace the imperfections and find gratitude in the little things.
To all the mothers out there who feel the weight of guilt, know that you are not alone. It's okay to feel torn between your different responsibilities. Your love for your children and your desire to pursue your passions are not mutually exclusive. Motherhood is a beautifully messy adventure, and we're all just doing our best to navigate the twists and turns.
There are days when I feel like I've got everything under control, and there are days that I struggle. The reality is that no one can do it all, flawlessly, all the time. I'm trying to be kinder to myself and to focus on the moments that truly matter.
So, to all the mothers out there who feel like they're constantly being pulled in all directions – I see you. I see the late nights and early mornings, the endless diaper changes and tantrums, the moments of frustration and exhaustion. But I also see the love, the resilience, and the unwavering determination to keep going.