What it’s REALLY like being a mum?

I’ve been a mum for 7 years and 7 days now! Wow….

I have three boys aged 7 years(+7days), 5 years (+11months and 10 days) and a 1 year old (+1 month and 28days) !

Someone asked me recently what is it like to be a mum? Are you ever ready to become a mother?? Obviously I didn’t want to put her off being a mum so I told her all the good things about being a mum! Now when I was thinking, I thought should I have shared the difficulties that a woman faces after she becomes a mother?

I realised not a lot of woman talk about it, especially the older woman who have gone past this phase… and I kept thinking why? Why do woman not share their true feelings? The true struggle they face? How they cope with everyday?

I don’t mean in any way that being a mum is bad! No! I love being a mum.. I really do.. all those kisses and strangling cuddles I get!!! I love every bit of it! My oldest two boys recently made me lunch ( toasted sugar sandwich with icelolly!) I had tears in my eyes (happy tears) that lunch was probably the best lunch of my life!!! They did everything themselves even the thinking of making a toasted sugar sandwich.. it was so very sweet. But I’m not gonna lie, it took every ounce of strength to get past these 7 years!

When you become a mum you CANNOT be lazy. Nope! You can simplify things but not be lazy! Like if you don’t want to cook you still have to feed the kids, you can’t be lazy about it..it’s not like you can’t… you just CAN NOT do it because you want them to be happy, so you might order takeaway or do a frozen option but you will get off your butt and do something! Whether it be cooking healthy meal from scratch or a frozen meal or take out!

• The house will never be clean the way it used to be before kids! (If yours is then well done and please tell me how?) I spend all day cleaning, organising and when my kids come back from school it feels like the house was never cleaned before… like really!! They try and get one towel out and the rest would be on the floor…! They will try and put them back but obviously it won’t be organised anymore…

• You won’t be able to go to the toilet without an audience! And if you manage to… they would be sitting outside waiting for you… like right outside.. constantly calling your name..! The instant you go toilet they will remember that they need the magazine that they bought last month to do an activity from it…! True story! Only time you can go in peace is if dads taken em out or they are asleep..!

• You can’t have hot drinks around them!! Even if you have warmed up that same coffee 5 times already…! Unless they are asleep.. or out.. I have switched to caffeinated energy drinks now… cos that doesn’t need to be warm or cold to drink.. I just drink it to get some caffeine in me and keep me awake…!

• You will never get enough sleep! Always be sleep deprived! Might work if you have only one I think. With me one of em would definitely get disturbed. I have gotten so used to of not sleeping for more then 5 hrs that if I do on a odd day, I would wake up with a stiff back…! No seriously, no joking! I got my calcium checked but everything came back fine, so I am assuming my back isn’t used to of laying down for more then 5hrs in a go..!

But all that said there is nothing in this world that would want me to change any bit of my life! I love my boys! When I see them laugh, it lights up my world! One hug from them takes away all the tiredness and makes everything feel so worth it…

Now to the question why doesn’t anyone share the true struggles of being a mum? It’s because you forget all that… yup just like labour pains! If you remembered your labour and delivery exactly the way it happened all the time, most of the people would only have one baby! No kidding! The moment you hold your baby for the first time all the pain just goes away! Just like that when the kids grow up all you remember is the fun things you did with them. Like the water fights, walks, strange food tasting, movie times! All the fun times….

I love being a mum! It’s difficult and tough but so worth it…! What is it that you find the toughest bit of being a mum? And what will you miss the most when your little babies are all grown up?