Motherhood is an experience filled with raw contradiction. It’s full of beauty and sacrifice, laughter and exhaustion, growth and grief—all rolled into one demanding, miraculous journey. And while it's often portrayed as purely joyful, the mental health challenges that come with raising children deserve just as much light.
In the words of Kate, Mom:
“Once I realized my kids were much more like hostas than orchids, my life opened up. Go get your nails done. They’ll be fine.”
Sometimes the first step to caring for your children is taking care of yourself. It’s a mindset shift—trusting your child’s resilience and your own right to breathe.
From Kate, Founder of Motherhood For Good, comes this poignant truth:
“The thing about motherhood is that nothing lasts forever. This is both a relief and a tragedy, of course. But as it turns out, you’ve gotta feel it all.”
That truth captures the complexity of parenthood. The sleepless nights, the first steps, the tantrums, the quiet cuddles—they’re all temporary. And in that temporariness is both deep loss and incredible freedom.
And then there’s Katie, a mental health therapist and mother, who speaks from the thick of it all:
“For me, mental health means having the ability to consistently and functionally show up to live the life you want. Ask for help. Let me say that again for myself and for my strong mamas who always feel the need to be strong: ask for help.”
Katie doesn’t just preach self-care—she lives the work, mess and all:
"Lol what is 'sane'? Totally kidding. My experience is having to learn/develop a new level or definition of sanity! ... Staying sane requires taking time for myself, which may mean telling my kid no sometimes or asking them to join in on my self-care. I love to read, do yoga, workout, and bake.”
She encourages mothers to bring their whole selves into motherhood:
“Let your kid(s) see and experience you before you became a mom! The life you cultivated doesn’t disappear because you became a mom… Trust yourself. You know your children best. Lean into that daily.”
Showing up for yourself isn’t always easy—it’s a practice:
“I’m honestly still working on this. But showing up means recognizing my strength and giving myself grace on tough days. I am not and never will be a perfect mom… Accepting that, forgiving myself, and continuing forward is how I show up.”
Perhaps the greatest takeaway is this: you’re allowed to be a full human—not just someone’s parent. That includes being tired, needing help, and saying “no” sometimes.
And when things feel heavy for more than a few days?
“If at any point you struggle to show up for your life for more than two weeks, please, please ask for support. It shouldn’t be like that for that long.”
To every mother navigating both love and limits: you’re doing better than you think. You don’t have to do it all. And you definitely don’t have to do it alone.
