There. I said it.
If you follow me on social media, over the past 4 years, I’ve kept you up to speed with my adventures in motherhood. I, honestly, played it pretty cool during pregnancy. Unless you asked, I didn’t make you aware of what size vegetable you could equate my baby to each week. I didn’t even post many bump shots, and I promised myself I wasn’t going to inundate your newsfeed with “baby everything” once my daughter arrived. I mean…I had a life.
But, guess what happened? My baby was born and my life got flip turned upside down. In my defense, I had NO idea that I would give birth to such a beautiful and amazing baby. I loved getting to know my daughter. It was immediately clear that this tiny human being I had been entrusted with was special, and I couldn’t help but share the joy she brought me.
So I shared.
I shared her first smiles. They meant that my perfect little blob of a human (that had mostly only cried, slept, eaten and pooped) was finally beginning to return my love.
I shared a blurry picture of a barely there baby tooth. That tooth meant that we had survived our first round of long nights of tears searching for a way to comfort her first encounters with pain. Just the two of us, an amber necklace and a squeaky giraffe.
I shared her measurements at every well baby check. They mattered so much to me because breastfeeding her was so difficult, and I celebrated every ounce she gained.
I shared her Pinterest worthy first birthday party. Because her first birthday meant that we had survived an entire trip around the sun as parents, and I wanted to celebrate that accomplishment just as much as I wanted to celebrate her birth.
I share about our struggles, tantrums and separation anxiety. It’s so important to me that I paint a realistic picture of my motherhood because it’s beautiful and difficult and messy, and maybe a mom-friend will feel comfort knowing that she’s not alone on the hard days.
I share her happy experiences. I share her “firsts”. I share her life. Not because I don’t have one of my own anymore, but because my family is my favorite part of it.
I don’t share to compete. I don’t share to prove my mommy-worth. I share because my children take up a huge piece of my heart. I love these little humans, and there are lots of other people who love them, too. I share for those people. I share because I’m a stay at home mom, and social media allows me to connect with other adults during my day. I share for documentation. Because I can’t stop to write down every hilarious conversation I have with my four year old, but I can post it as a quick status update (and maybe even make someone smile).
To my friends with children (and especially the ones who had children before me), I get it. The funny thing is, when I had my baby, my heart grew with love for her, but it also grew for you and yours. I get it now. I love seeing your life updates. You’re doing really meaningful things, and I celebrate alongside you for all of your accomplishments.
For my friends who don’t have children, I apologize. I apologize for the potty training questions and the celebratory sleeping through the night posts. I know it’s uninteresting most of the time. But, just so you know… I love seeing your life updates. You’re doing really meaningful things, and I celebrate alongside you for all of your accomplishments.
I’m a mom, and I overshare. Because when you’re blessed with something so wonderful, it just doesn’t seem fair to keep it all to yourself.