The One Consistent Regret | Confessions Between Moms

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The life of a mom is often consumed by taking care of her family. She finds herself constantly consumed with thoughts of what needs to be done; exhausted but still trying to do everything. Through it all, there is one consistent regret every mother confesses that she wished she had done earlier.

When life is busy it is hard to take a moment to breathe in the fresh air and take in our surroundings. It is hard to truly look at the beauty of the moment when you have constant thoughts of what needs to get done.  The endless guilt over things not done can be overwhelming.

I’m pretty blessed to have some wise women in my life. Each of these women is an inspiration to me in many ways. They have all led very different paths in their journey, but there is one common confession; one consistent regret they share.

Confessions Between Moms

It doesn’t matter if the mom is in her 70’s or if she is in her 40’s, there seems to be one consistent regret they share with each other: putting themselves too low on the priority.

It’s easy to get consumed with mom life and push your passions to the side. Many times those passions get pushed to the side so often and for so long that you forget they even existed in the first place.

These moms don’t regret having a family. They love their family, and it showed in how they lived their life. Even after the kids left the home to start their own lives, they poured themselves into their new “empty nest” lives. Many felt lost without their kids because their life revolved around the kids for so long.

When you put yourself too low on the priority you forget who you are, you lose your authentic identity. For years I was only called my first name at work. Everywhere else I introduced myself as my kid’s mom or my husband’s wife.

The Survival Guide

As my kids grew up I started to realize that I needed to make sure I would survive the “empty nest”. I saw older moms struggle and didn’t want myself consumed with regrets.

It started with me teaching myself how to find quiet moments. I was learning how to reflect on my day without worrying about the long list of stuff I didn’t do. Learning to delegate so that I could take a moment or two to pick up a book, enjoy a craft, or take the time to go to the gym.

Over time, I’ve found that I’m happier and more present in other areas in my mom’s life. I like to think that nurturing my authentic self has made me a better mom, and hopefully a positive example to my own children.

I can’t count how many times older women have told me how they lost themselves over time; it was the one consistent regret they all had. They don’t regret the life they made with their family. However, they waited too long to put themselves higher on the priority list.

Allowing yourself to sit and enjoy a book well before you retired, is not a huge request. As a mom, it’s hard to do something so simple for ourselves. I still find myself struggling with guilt, but I remind myself that I need to do this for myself and my family.

Before You Go

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and let me know how you plan to do something for yourself.

Want to remember this? Save the 1 consistent regret to your favorite Pinterest board!