Hey you. You, sitting there reading this in your stretched-out T-shirt and elastic waistband pants. You, who hasn’t had the chance to shower yet and whose hair is a little on the greasy side, but you’re hoping your messy bun will help hide that fact. You, who has a crusty patch on her clothing that could be food — or maybe it’s snot; it’s hard to tell.
I see you.
I know it feels like you’re drowning in motherhood sometimes. It feels like you spend so much time attending to everyone else’s needs that yours are pushed not only to the back burner, but to the back burner of a stove in the appliance showroom 10 miles away. I know that a shower where you actually have time to shave feels like a luxury and the thought of curling your hair or spending more than two minutes on your makeup seems nearly impossible. Some days, a brush is the best you can do. Some days. All the other stuff just takes a monumental effort. You don’t feel like you have it in you, so what’s the point?
I know you feel like you’ve let yourself go. I know a part of you worries your partner isn’t as attracted to you anymore. But another part of you is actually okay with that because at the end of the day, you’re all touched out and used up; you’ve given all you can, and you’re honestly more interested in sleep than sex.
I know that if someone gave you $100, you would walk through a store and spend it on your kids. Maybe you’d pick up something for yourself, but you’d put it back before you reached the checkout. Any money you used to spend on your own wardrobe or at the salon is now used to outfit your little ones and to give them the extras: the mommy and me classes, the toys, the books, the admission to the zoo and the carnival and the museum. I know you tell yourself all those things are more important. I know your body is different than it used to be, and you’re not sure you want to spend any money on bigger jeans, anyway. Yoga pants are just fine because they’re forgiving.
