She's not angry.

She’s not angry and she's not mad- she’s tired.

I keep seeing so many social media videos coming up on my feeds that somehow connect to the phrases of “she’s not angry, she’s overwhelmed” or “she’s not angry, she’s overstimulated,” or she’s not angry, she’s tired.”  I don’t know if my phone is telling ME something or if the world is picking up on something that mothers in our world need to hear right now. For those of you who have seen these come up- you’re familiar with what I am talking about. For those who aren’t- I’ve included a snapshot of the one that sparked me to write this post.

But as I sit and reflect on the words and I remember the other ones as well, I can’t help but feel a sigh of relief and think how true it is. I may have been short, I may have snapped. I may come off frustrated or grumpy or just not excited and happy. But it’s not them. And truly it’s not necessarily me either. It’s the situation at times. And it’s the situations motherhood sometimes puts us in, especially being a full-time working parent or a single parent. I am writing these words, and thinking these things, and surely and have to think I am not the only one feeling this, am I? I just want others who might catch themselves feeling a little uneasy, or sometimes stressed out, or questioning do my kids know I love them, or my worth as a parent, or whatever other thoughts come to mind- that this is normal. And it’s okay to feel tired. Overwhelmed. Overstimulated. We do everything for everyone else, all the time. And usually put ourselves last. Take care of yourself, mama. Know that you are not alone- and you are always enough.