Pressure

Maggie

Does anyone else feel as if they pressure themselves to be the perfect family/person?

I try so hard to be a happy, productive, energetic wife and mother, and it never feels like enough. Our son is about 3.5 months old and he is so happy all the time, but next week I go back to work so he will start daycare. I worry that he won't be as happy all the time as a result of being in daycare.

I worry that he won't be enabled to learn at the speed he wants. I worry that me going back to work and pumping will result in us quitting breastfeeding before he's a year old. I worry that I won't be there for his first word or his first steps. I worry that the times I do get frustrated I'm being selfish and not grateful enough to have him in my life.

I worry that missing church every few weeks will cause my son's faith to be less. I worry that I spend too much time on my phone and in front of the tv. I worry that I put too much value into the material and not enough into the immaterial.

I worry that I'm not affectionate enough toward my husband. I worry that our relationship and our life isn't all that it could be. I worry that I'm not enough or that I'm not trying hard enough because I do have breakdowns and I do have bad days. I worry that I'll make a wrong decision.

And I don't tell these worries to anyone. Why? Because I worry that when I tell someone I'll look like a bad mother or a bad wife or a lazy/unmotivated person for being weak or not being able to manage my emotions. So, I lay here in bed telling an internet full of strangers my worries, hoping that there is someone out there who can relate.