Monday, March 17, 2014

Mothering is a tough journey

An open letter to the Mom's in all of us:
The other day I commented on an article you'd been reading. The article gave you comfort in your parenting struggles and I commented on the facts of the article. I am sorry! 
I am sorry for hurt you feel to the Mom's who wanted to breasted but found challenges they could not overcome in any way for any reason. I am sorry for the judgement you feel to those who chose not to breastfeed for whatever reasons best for your family. I am sorry for confusion and sadness to those who got misinformation along the way in your breastfeeding journey. I am sorry for the negativity to those who chose tandem nursed or breastfed into toddler hood. I am sorry for not hearing you when you were crying out that you felt less than, or criticized in any way.
It's been a long time since I breastfed my fourth and last baby. My breastfeeding relationships were not without challenges, but were ultimately long and successful relationships. I am thankful. At the time I was active in supporting other Mom's in their breastfeeding challenges. It's easy to lose site of the emotion and focus only on the facts when reading an article. The emotion is what's real to anyone "in the heart of it" and I stepped away and forgot that for a moment. 
What I should have said to you was "there are so many challenges along the road of mothering, we all have to accept we do the best we can with what we have". What I want you to know is that we've all felt judged by each-other and I am sorry if I have contributed to that in any way...along the way of mothering. Your feelings and struggles are valid.

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