There are moments in motherhood that you think you are prepared for… and then they happen, and you most certainly were not prepared.

Today was one of those moments.

My toddler appreciates her privacy when using the bathroom… which fair. Same. And I want to respect that. But after today I am realizing that privacy can present a wonderful opportunity for chaos.

I got the toddler “booty call.” I opened the door completely unaware to what I was about to witness.

I stood there staring at my bathroom trying to process exactly what I was seeing. There before me was the type of mess that hijacks your entire morning, and makes you question a lot of the choices up you’ve made up to that moment.

I felt… so many big emotions. Frustration, shock, anger, just utter “WHAT THE F*CK!”.

My brain started going a mile a minute…
This cannot be happening right now.
I’m going to scream!
Don’t scream.
I have to clean this up.
I don’t want to clean this up.
She needs a bath.
I need a break!!!

So I did what moms do. I took care of it.

I cleaned the bathroom. I bathed my kid. I disinfected everything with Force of Nature (and threw out what I couldn’t). And I continued on with my morning like nothing happened. And of course, 3 minutes later…someone asked me for a snack.

That’s the part no one explains either.

Not the mess itself. Kids are kids. Their curiosity is strong, and they turn into chaotic little scientists in the blink of an eye.

It’s the whiplash of motherhood.

How you can go from biohazard cleanup crew to handing out crackers in mere moments, and jumping into a Zoom call right after.

There is no debrief, no recovery time, no “Just Breathe” playing in the background while you silently stare at a wall still processing everything that just happened.

Just: “I’m hungry.”

And maybe that’s why motherhood can feel so invisible sometimes.

Because the hardest parts are absolutely WILD. They are not photogenic, and they don’t show up on the Instagram feed. They are sometimes disgusting and impossible to summarize.

No one sees the patience it took not to lose it in the moment or the reset it takes after my frustration spiked.
No one sees the emotional resilience required to to keep showing up and keep answering the question “whatcha doing?!” when you are already tapped.

Now did I handle this moment perfectly? No. I think I asked “Whyyyyyy?” about 75 times in this process. I definitely lost it when a temper tantrum ensued after I gave her a snack and she kept telling me she was “starving”.

But that is all part of motherhood. It is in the showing up the best we can, learning from each of our mess ups, and doing better the next time.

Some days motherhood looks like sweet cuddles, fresh coffee, and everyone smiling in matching outfits.

Some days it looks like rubber gloves, deep sighs, and questioning every life choice you’ve ever made.

Some days it looks like all of the above in less than 30 minutes.

All of it is real. And all of it is part of fueling balance.

Some links are referral links, which means I may receive a credit, reward, or commission if you sign up or make a purchase through them.