I say that I write about real-mom moments and in order to be able to make that statement, posts like this must be written. Not just for the disclaimer to be true, but to make other mom’s feel less crazy. I love seeing a mom share a picture of her house in a complete disaster or read a post about the time she sat down and cried because of how hard this mom thing is.
I’m starting a weekly series called Mom Tales from The Trenches where I’ll share real-life stories from moms. These aren’t intended to teach or preach, just let it all out there. I hope you’ll feel a sense of community and compassion from one mama to another.
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This first post is something I wrote back in September, 2012 when my son was barely 2 years old and my daughter was still a newborn.
I’ve said it many times but my absolute worst moment as a parent was when Brady burnt his foot. Last week I had an episode with him that climbed its way right up to the number one spot and took a seat next to it. Shook its hand.
My husband went to a flag football game and I decided to take both babies for a walk by myself for the first time. We had only planned to make it around the block but Paityn was already getting crabby less than half way through so we turned around and headed home. Brady had a few moments where he would rather not have his hand held but all in all the walk worked out just fine.
We got home and Brady wanted to ride his bike. Since it was sitting out front I let him make a few circles in the driveway. I took Paityn out of the stroller and told Brady it was time to go in and feed her. He ran out into the yard which isn’t anything abnormal and I yelled for him to come back, he usually always does. As he started to walk closer and closer to the edge of the yard I started to walk after him. Suddenly, he darted off into the street.
I started to run after him, baby in my arms, as he continued to run down our neighborhood street towards a much busier one. All the while I am yelling, screaming, begging him to stop and carrying a 3.5 month old baby I’m trying not to drop. I’m able to grab an arm somehow and I pull him into the yard kicking and screaming. I can’t pick him up with one hand and he won’t cooperate so I’m half dragging him to the front door. I was completely screwed in all directions because I was not anywhere close to the house or Paityn’s stroller to put her down safely – I would have had to lay her right in the grass in the middle of the yard – and no way to pick up Brady’s bucking 35 pound body.
Sweating and screaming at me he rips his hand out of mine and runs back to the street.
I am chasing him once again with a baby in tow who is now screaming as tears are filling my eyes while I’m saying, “Brady, please, please, please stop. Please!” I’m pleaded with him to just. please. stop. I reach out to get him and only manage to grab the back of his t-shirt which trips him, he falls, and the collar of the shirt burns his neck.
Another drag to the yard and he flops down onto his belly, screaming.
I look up and our neighbors are outside staring. Now, I’m mortified.
They’ve grown to know us over the years and really love Brady. The woman opened her fence gate and came out to offer a hand. She picked Brady up kicking and screaming and carried him to our front door for me, reassuring me that she’s been there, after all, she has twin boys, you know. I apologized to her, thanked her, put Brady in his room and I lost it.
I cried and cried and cried some more while Brady is thrashing around his bedroom in the largest fit I’ve ever witnessed in my short mom-life. We were both a mess sweat and tears.
A few minutes later, barely able to catch his breath he brought me four of his stuffed animals as a peace offering and said, “Mommy, my buyed you something. Are you mad?”
I could never be mad at that boy for longer than a minute, no matter what he does. I called my mom, talked it out, caught my breath, wiped my tears, gave him a hug. Tomorrow will be a new day.
Do you want to share your story here? I’d love to have you. Email loveandmarriageblog@gmail.com
Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.
Thank you for sharing this. I think these experiences happen to all of us, but it seems like in the blog world that everyone wants to paint their lives as perfect and I for one am not a perfect mom nor do I have perfect kids! I’m glad Brady was ok, and someone was their to offer a hand to help..neighbors can be a blessing 🙂
I have so many I’m not sure how to pick only one. There was the time I was getting choked on the livin room floor while my precious 1 year old daughter pulled the hot iron over on her foot. The even worse part is that I didn’t take my baby and leave that man immediately. If I had, life for her would have been infinitely better.
There was the time I let her 2 year old self play with an umbrella and she got the handle jammed in her mouth. And the time I made her clean her plate and she thee it all up
This Mom stuff is HARD. It’s agony sometimes and it’s almost always easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing because the right thing takes time and requires us to be fully present. You’ll never do anything harder than this… But when they grow up to be parents themselves and you see that they are infinitely better at it than you were, it’s worth it. 🙂
We all have moments like this. It’s just the brave among us that share them lol. No mom can say that something like this has never happened to them. I remember when my son, Noah, was about 7 months old. He had an awful cold and I put a humidifier in his room…the hot steam kind. It wasn’t an issue, he was in his crib every night before I turned it on…until that one night. It had been a long day. I was tired. He was tired. I started getting him ready for bed and the phone rang. I plugged the humidifier in thinking as soon as I’m off the phone I’ll put him in bed. We were in the living room and his bedroom was down the hallway so I thought, “I’m watching him. If he goes into the hall I’ll stop him.” My phone call ended and I went to hang the phone up. I turned around and I don’t know how he made it down the hall that fast but he was right in front of the humidifier hand posed to reach out and grab that hot steam. I couldn’t get there fast enough. He burned his hand. Thankfully it wasn’t a bad burn but it definitely scared both of us. The next day I went out and bought a cold mist one. Things are going to happen. We just have to learn from our mistakes.
Ashley
http://this-unscripted-life.blogspot.com/
Been there, done that. You are NOT a bad mom. Let me set the scene. The weekend before Easter. Me alone with a 3 year old and a 9 month old at Sears to get pictures taken for Easter. Studio was running behind so we were walking the halls. When all of a sudden my 3 year old takes off running. Turns a corner into the appliance section of fridges and when I turn the corner he is NO WHERE to be found. Panic is not a strong enough word to describe the emotion I felt. I raced around the maze of fridges, washers, dryers and stoves there was no site of him. I finally found an employee and told them and they called the missing child code. The employee that found him was on the 2nd floor!! Needless to say, pictures did NOT get taken that day LOL
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We were staying in a hotel in a new town while looking for houses. My husband was already at work at his new job and it was me with 6 kids- the oldest was 11 and the youngest 11 months. I was exhausted and put on a movie for my kids to watch while I tried to lie down for a little while. After 5 minutes I heard my older kids calling for my then 2 year old daughter. So I got up thinking she was hiding in the bathroom or closet. She was no where in that little hotel room! She had just been there 5 minutes before and now she was gone! I pulled the door open and looked up and down the empty hallway, my heart racing but trying not to alarm my other 5 kids. I told them to stay in the room and I was going to look for my daughter. I raced to the elevator(we were staying on the 3rd floor) it was empty. I flew down each flight of steps and checked each floor as I dialed 911 to report her missing.
Every possible scene flashed in detail in my mind as each floor showed me empty hallways and closed doors.
The hotel we were at was two buildings. We were in the second one and I had to go outside to get to the front desk in the first building. As I opened up the door and ran outside a man leaning by his pick up truck asked if I was looking for a little girl. I said yes and he told me they had taken her to the hotel lobby. I yelled a thank you as I ran to make sure it was my little girl- hanging up on 911(they call you back if you do that to make sure you are okay- pretty cool) I asked the front desk and the girls took my to the office where there was my little 2 yr old playing with the puppy one of the girls had brought to work!
I never wanted to put her down again! A group of hunters who were also staying at the hotel had found her in the elevator when they had pushed the call button- she had gotten in from the 3rd floor. They took her to the lobby knowing that someone would come looking for her. Someone else came up to my kids room and knocked on the door to let my kids know that their sister was okay and that I had found her. I don’t know who it was.
My little girl will be going to kindergarten this year- 🙂
I have been in a tent when a bear came and sniffed my feet! I have climbed almost vertical mountian faces, but losing my daughter for 5 minutes was the most terrifying thing in my life so far!
Holy cow! That sounds terrible. Anytime they go missing for longer than 30 seconds we panic! So happy she was safe and sound. Would you be interested in posting that in a new Mom Tales from The Trenches segment?
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