No, not the sleepless nights with a newborn, or the complete lack of privacy when all you want is five minutes in the bathroom. I straight up hate being a mom when:
Boarding a 12-hour flight with the kids
I traveled with my son for the first time when he was two-and-a-half months old, and he was brilliant. After that, long-haul flights were the stuff of horror movies.
On one really bad flight, I smashed my head on the overhead compartment, ran out of diapers, and did all I could to soothe my overtired, bawling boy. Of course upon landing in Cape Town, I ran into my ex-boyfriend in Arrivals.
For all the moms out there on long-haul flights with kids, I promise, it does get better.
Making lunch boxes
I am convinced that the only reason parents around the world love school holidays is because it means no more having to make lunch boxes every morning. I’m up at 5am every day, trying to put together a healthy, balanced lunch that they will likely not touch at all.
Getting that new icky, weird illness letter from the school
You know the one. Where they tell you scarlet fever/ lice seems to have affected a bunch of kids at the school, so “please could you keep an eye out for the following symptoms…”
We got three alerts last week alone, but I can honestly say that none of the dreaded illnesses/ bugs/ viruses has struck as much fear in me as a potential lice attack. The mere thought of having to comb through my child’s hair to find eggs makes me shudder!
Dealing with a bully
It starts pretty early, this whole bullying problem. Our eldest was in kindergarten when a classmate attacked him with a pair of scissors one day, and slammed his head against a glass door the next.
Since then, we’ve had other instances, including a neighborhood bully who terrorized every 5-year-old on the block. Friends with older daughters have similar issues, though for them, they are frustrated by the insidious (but just as devastating) mean-girling of junior high.
Being a mom means that, no matter how much you try to protect and defend your kids, they will inevitably be hurt by others. And that really sucks.
Fortunately, those times that being a mom sucks are far outweighed by the magical moments. Like when they’re so freaking adorable, I wanna eat them right up. Moments when I wish I could press pause and remember every little detail. And then I thank God I’m a mom.
