Life

12 Things Every Mom Should Be Able To Laugh At (Herself Being One Of Them)

I will be the first person to admit that I took myself rather seriously as a first-time mom. Things were intense (because of course they were), and I didn't laugh nearly as much as I should have. It is firmly my belief that moms who laugh at themselves are infinitely better adjusted to motherhood than those who don't. Ironically, it was when I developed perinatal depression and anxiety during my second pregnancy that my sense of humor seemed to kick in. At that point, the hilarity of what having two children actually meant hit me. Nothing would be sacred anymore. Not bathroom time, not sex with your partner, not sleep, not personal space... It can drive you to madness, thinking about how things change when you become a parent (or, in my case, become a parent again). Or it can make you laugh, at the absurdity and awesomeness of it all.

This second time around, I've chosen to laugh. And sometimes it really is a choice. I mean, driving for 3 hours in an SUV that's too small for all five of us, with two kids crying inconsolably and the third stuck between them with a headache? It sucked, sure, but when I looked at everyone and said, "Boy, we sure are living the dream!" it lightened the mood, even if the crying didn't actually stop.

Here are 12 other things every mom should be able to laugh at:

Realizing On Date Night That You Have Dried Vomit On Your Nice Clothes

Or, you know, spaghetti. It's happened to the best of us, so you might as well laugh it off. That sh*t gets everywhere.

When You Buy Your Child A Perfectly Coordinated Outfit And They Dress Themselves

And let's just say, it's most definitely not coordinated.

When You Buy Your Kid A Beautiful Gift And All They Want To Play With Is The Box

Why do we bother buying nice things??

Leaking Breastmilk. Everywhere.

I kind of feel like this is a rite of passage, but like, an inglorious one for sure.

Your Kids Being Clumsy Hot Messes

OK, obviously we shouldn't laugh when they truly hurt themselves, but I am all for casually laughing at the expense of others when they're generally safe and fine but just being a mess of a human, and that is pretty much why children exist. Does that make me a horrible person? No. It makes me a person who knows how to give myself what I need to keep my chin up and keep being a good mom.

Lifting Your Baby Off Your Lap And Seeing The Wet Patch

All you can do is pray that it's not also yellow- or brown-colored. But chances are, it will be.

Your Kids, When They Have A Classic, Lay-On-The-Floor-Kicking-And-Screaming Tantrum

My daughter didn't really have the classic tantrums, but my son? Ohhh, he is full of the drama. My husband and I can't help ourselves when he flops to the ground on his stomach dramatically and goes red from the screaming. We laugh (and then we try and fix the situation, obviously, not that our attempts usually do much good).

Realizing You've Been Wearing The Same Yoga Pants For 3 Days, And Realizing You Don't Care

You might as well own it. Shrug.

When You Hear, During A Passionate Moment With Your Partner, A Child's Voice Saying "Mom?" From Their Bedroom

I wish I could say it's never happened, but it literally always does.

When You Have A Work Deadline To Meet, And Your Kids Are Up All Night Puking

Always.

Your Kids, When They Do Ridiculous Things To Each Other

First, you correct the ~unsafe choice~ they made. Then, you walk into the next room, where your children can't see you, and laugh your ass off.

When You Have To Stay Home From Work Because Your Kid Is Sick, But You Still Have To "Work"

Generally when this happens to me, it's sort of a combination of laughing and crying, which is basically the Mom Special™.