12 Reasons Why You're a Great Mom

Being a parent is hard, but I have some great news for you: You don’t suck as much as you think you do. In fact, if you are a mom who cares about her kids (as the majority of us do), you are great.

Here are 12 reasons why:

1. You have kept your child alive. This is not a joke. Newborns are scary as fuck. You have learned how to cradle your baby’s fragile head and keep their neck on straight. Go, you.

2. You don’t know what you’re doing, but you do it anyway. The mantra of a good mom is “fake it till you make it.” You master this the moment you become a mom.

3. You’re scared, but you do it anyway. As the saying goes, the true sign of courage is being afraid and doing it anyway. That is a new mom in a nutshell.

4. You’re an expert Googler. You don’t know when, if, or how often you need to take your kid to the doctor. Thank the Lord above for Google because now you can compare rashes and types of baby poop to separate a legit emergency from a new mom freakout. You’ve got this.

5. You feed your baby all day long. Seriously, babies eat constantly. If you’ve gotten up at three in the morning to give your baby some fresh boob juice, you’re a great mom.

6. You think about your baby all day long. As cheesy as it sounds, any mom can tell you that it is impossible to get your baby off your brain when you are away at work or otherwise. This is perfectly normal. Do what you gotta do—you’re a good mom.

7. You make your kids food. Whether you are making breast milk, blending up baby purees, or cutting up grilled cheese for your toddler, making nutritious, delicious food for kids is really hard. Bonus points for not screaming when your toddler throws dinner on the floor.

8. You feed your kid more than you feed yourself. As a new mom, you’ve probably stuffed crackers in your face while you pumped breast milk at your desk. You’ve also probably given your toddler the last apple slice when you haven’t eaten all day long. You’re basically Mother Teresa.

9. You use your superhuman strength to cart your baby around. Babies are way heavier than anyone tells you. If you are baby-wearing or lugging your tot through the grocery store, you are basically Iron Man.

10. You exercise superhuman patience in the face of tantrums. Every parent is tempted to freak out when their toddler screams and slaps them in the face. If you don’t, you are a saint. Rinse and repeat.

11. You’ve given up sleeping until noon. Yeah, that’s probably not gonna happen for a few good years. Sleep is overrated anyway. Right…?

12. You try to balance it all and fail miserably. Every mom does this. You try to please your husband, your kids, your boss, your friends, and yourself, and it never works. Don’t worry—sometimes you’ll pull it off better than others. You’re still a good mom.

Related post: Perception vs Reality: You’re Doing Better Than You Think

This post first appeared on Mommyish. Read more here.