Before we even get into the context of this article let me say, I love my children. I would cross deserts, move mountains, and kill, yes straight up gangster murder someone for my children. They are unique and hilarious. They are beautiful and loving. I love them with every fiber of my being. I wish I could grant their every wish and never have to ever make them cry or clean their room. They are magical little mixes of my husband and me and reminders of how awesome we must truly be to have made these little people.
All that said, I still hate being a mother.
I hate the guilt that is ever-present when you’re a mother. Add on hating motherhood itself and that guilt gets multiplied times one hundred. I hate the schedules, the mood swings, the schools, the clubs, the birthday parties, the toys, the doctors, the playdates, all of it. I hate the memes about the joys of motherhood with their corny little “Oh my little angel does this bad things but it’s ok because motherhood is great!” messages. I hate the “club.” I’m glad there is a club, we moms need each other, but I cannot relate to you. I don’t want to grab wine and share photos of my kids or talk about PTA drama. I want to get away and forget I am even a mom for an hour or two and just be me, the person, maybe even get to be wife occasionally as well. I love being a wife.
When other moms vent and rant, I like that. Those rants make me feel normal. It’s when the rant is followed by the “It’s so worth it.” or “You’re gonna miss this” that you lose me. No. No I will not. I will miss the 2-year-old who knew all the steps to the Whip Nay-nay. I will miss the 4-year-old who told me I was a beautiful unicorn queen. I will miss the kids who threw crazy dance parties in the living room, but I will not once for a single moment miss being a caregiver to those amazing humans. I will not miss a single dirty diaper, bath time, bedtime story, snot nose, park day, road trip, or any of those things some women seem to relish. Not a photoshoot, not a birthday party, none of the things. I was told to enjoy them when they were infants, and yes they were adorable little humans but I wouldn’t go back to those days for any amount of money so you’re already wrong. Our ideas of fun and fulfilling are just different, I guess.
I never wanted kids. STOP, and before you start the “Well you chose to have them” bullshit let me explain. I knew I didn’t like kids from a very young age. I had many siblings and was the family babysitter for multiple little cousins. On countless occasions I expressed my desire to never have children. Each and every time I was met with a “It’s different when you have your own.” I grew up in a community heavy on marriage and family. I was pretty much raised to believe life wouldn’t start until I was married and had a baby.
My first child was not planned, but I felt kids were inevitable so might as well suck it up and get my butt in gear. I looked forward to that magical moment I would spit him out and suddenly love being a mother. One week, six months, two years pass and it never comes. I blamed my postpartum, my unpreparedness, and three years later I felt I was ready to give this guy a playmate. Again I had postpartum and struggled to breastfeed. Again, I felt nothing. I chalked it up to those things. And when my husband said lets go again, I figured THIS would be when it happened. Maybe it was a little girl that would bring my inner mother out. Nope. Nothing. Baby three was perfect in every way and I still hate being a mother. I always imagined I’d give birth to a best friend. I always wanted that relationship, but most days I just fantasize about when they will be old enough to shut the hell up about Minecraft.
I have heard the word ungrateful more times than I can count. You people need new material. “Be grateful you can have kids.” Yes, how dare I complain when others don’t have the privilege. There is nothing anyone can say to me at this point that I haven’t already told myself. Remember that mom guilt? Yeah, I can handle it on my own thanks.
Don’t mistake my hate for carelessness. I am a good mother. I am raising well adjusted, funny, down to earth kids. My kids know they are loved beyond measure. My kids won’t hate people based on race or sexual identity. My kids won’t bash your religion. My kids are being taught to respect the opposite sex as well as themselves. I am raising the generation I wish to see in the world, and I think I’m doing damn good at it. Excelling and enjoying are two different things. You can be an expert in your field and still hate your job.
If you are a mom who feels like a failure, you are not alone. A recent post in a mom group asked women to rate how much they enjoyed being a mother on a scale of 1-10. While as you expect the majority were somewhere between 5-10, a very large number of women said 1 or even 0 at times. A wave of relief washed over me as I read comment after comment of women who like me, thought the love of being a parent would come with the child, but it never came.
So you enjoy your happy moments and bask in these “good ole years.” I am glad it brings you so much happiness but fuck off with that bullshit when you see me upset and complaining about my own. Stay at home mom depression is incredibly real. Imagine having that depression but not even getting the teensy bit of joy all those moms who choose to stay home, stay home for.
If you’re a mom on the zero end of the scale and want to get together and discuss all those big dreams that are being postponed or just fantasize about what could have been or what will be way down the road, let’s make plans we’ll never see through together because the kids will most definitely ruin them first.
Here’s to motherhood, bitches! You don’t have to love it, you just have to love them.
Edited to add: I will miss trick or treating and Christmas morning. I’ve been sitting on this post for a few weeks and these are the only two I can with certainty say I will miss.
Guest
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I love, and I mean LOVE, this piece. I don’t care who you are or what you believe, you have to recognize the courage it took to write these words & the authenticity behind them
I lover your honest account of Motherhood. I choose not to have to children and now divorced at the age of 45 I feel like I have made the biggest mistake of my life.
Thank you for this. I really needed to know I’m not alone with these feelings. Haha, yes, “let’s make plans we’ll never see through together because the kids will most definitely ruin them first.”
Great post. What I hate the most is never feeling at rest. I miss being able to sit and deeply contemplate. I miss silence. Now, it’s mom, mom, mommy, babe can you do this? Grab something? Finish my projects? …. goddamn… shut up!!! Everyone in my house is so loud. It’s like these morons are afraid to be silent. It’s always something and my fucking adhd husband too?! It’s like having 3 kids!! I hate motherhood and being a wife at the same time. I could be a mom, OR be a wife, and stay afloat… but both, simultaneously?! Hell no. It’s miserable, I hate it. Period.
You literally took the words out of my mouth. EXACTLY.
Thank you so much for writing this, thoughts out of my own head. It’s the saving grace I need this morning as I’m truly about to lose my mind. I can’t be polite anymore when I hear that I’m going to miss this. Whoever says that is welcome to come stay the days and nights and tell me sleep deprivation is something they missed.
I needed to read this so bad. I googled ” why do I hate being a mom” and found this article. Thank you! I raised 3 girls and then had an oops baby. Everything from pregnancy to now at the age of almost 6, has been miserable. She’s so hard, so needy. I love her so much but I hate. my. life. The guilt is real, which makes it all 10 times worse. Im a miserable mess . Feels good to at least write it down. Thanks for letting me know i’m not alone
I hate it too! Sometimes I hide in a closet for hours while my husband takes care of our son. I miss my baby in those hours but I just can’t get out of the closet…I hate who I became. So I sit still. In darkness.
YES YES YES!!! I’ve googled I hate being a mom, I hate motherhood several different times and read articles I think I agree with…until the end when they say “but it’s so worth it” or “but I really do love it most of the time”. Then they lose me. I was expecting that with your post but YOU stayed real to the end. Thank you. I’m not alone. I love my kids but not my life. I regret all the things I’ve given up to have them.
I feel this deep in my soul… thank you for your honesty and making me feel normal and like I’m not alone. I love my kids but I hate motherhood! And I feel so guilty about it, but I can’t change it. I can not thank you enough for this.
This sounds like me. I had 4, and ended up with an unplanned surprise! This is the shittiest job on the planet. Currently three are teens, one 8 year old ,and a toddler. I HATE my life!!! I envy women who choose to have no children. If I could go back in time I wouldn’t have them. I love them, but I’m a glorified servant. 🙁
Preach! I thank everyday im not a stay at home mom, because the days I am alone with them are mostly hell. Love them, love when the do the sweetest things that let me know they aren’t sociopaths, but for fucks sake those are few and far between. I too thought this feeling of joy would come, but nope. Honestly, I loved when they were newborns because I could just sit on the couch and justify their neediness, now it is really hard for me to still hold their hands with things, they are three and five. I know they are young, and I need to be patient but when they say “Mom”, I just feel like I’m hearing nails on a chalkboard.
I loved the article and yet I am so angry that there is no solution. So I have to continue hating my fucking life for eternity? I cannot believe this 🙁
Yes. Add a full-time workload and the much-wanted but perhaps not best timing on going freelance (hello COVID) which basically translates into 24/7 work while partner doesn’t get why I’m complaining he’s going on a 2hr jog for the millionth time this week. I just work from home with a preschooler who is currently in summer holidays after all. I HATE my life. Didn’t want kids. She was an oops, and I love her, but kids are just not my thing. My partner convinced me to go through with the pregnancy saying he’d take care of everything, plus I was in my mid 30s etc. Yeah right! Plus lockdowns, lack of childcare, aging grandparents etc. Three years on and I resent every day. I just want some peace, time to concentrate on building my business, time to write, think, enjoy life… Sleep, eat, etc. whenever the hell I want. I seriously don’t understand people who do this voluntarily. Sorry for the rant. It’s been a long 2 years.
Thank you for this
I have never read anything more relatable in my entire life. After having one, I love her and you couldn’t pay me all the money in the world to have another one. I honor the courage it took to post something like this.