Ah, motherhood. The Oxford Dictionary defines motherhood as, The state of being a mother. Well, that leaves a lot open for interpretation, if you ask me. So, I’ve decided to take it upon myself to use my 4+ years of experience as a mom of two (girls) to further define motherhood for you from my perspective.

Motherhood is…

… wondering how drunken frat boys got into your house and made this mess … buying 949,827,352 pureed fruit pouches to keep on hand for when your kids are hungry but you’re lazy … turning on your phone to find 50+ selfies your kid took … lying about how much screen time your kids actually get … simultaneously wishing for time to stop but for bedtime to arrive faster … not even bothering to close the door while you use the bathroom anymore … wondering if some arbitrary parenting decision you made is the reason [insert anything] is happening now … saying things like, “We don’t kiss the potty,” and, “Don’t drink the bath water,” on the regular … living in a constant state of having cartoon theme songs playing in your head … chasing your daughters around the house while holding them by the hair, trying to get it into a ponytail … yelling, “Give your sister some space!” all day everyday … wondering when your kids will be old enough to wipe their own butts … getting asked for (and fetching) a snack 100 times per day … not knowing how long it’s been since you last washed your hair … equating a solo trip to Target to a tropical beach vacation … realizing your favorite show/movie/song has a lot more profanity in it than you remember … not knowing why you (or anyone else) are/is crying … questioning every moment of silence and assuming the worst (because experience) … mourning the loss of your pre-baby body while trying to convince yourself that “tiger stripes” are cool … inescapable mom-guilt even though you’re actually rockin’ this mom-gig … feeling like a rock star because your “groupies” cry every time they see you and every time you leave the room … getting rid of toys when your kids are napping and hoping they won’t notice … serving yourself extra food because your not-hungry-kid will undoubtedly mooch off of you … hiding in a closet to eat candy alone … having an unwanted audience while you shower … hearing your name being called multiple times per day for no reason at all … throwing away “artwork” from school but burying in the in trashcan so they don’t find the evidence … an internal conflict between dying to put your baby down (because freedom) & wanting to hold them forever … having your whole day of errands/activities hinge on whether your toddler pees before leaving the house … trying not to laugh when your kid says a bad word or something particularly sassy

Finally, motherhood is knowing there’s no bigger or better blessing in the world and that mom life really is the best life; it’s the extreme privilege of being able to care for tiny humans and help shape them into the (hopefully amazing) people they will become. Motherhood is sharing in the joys and triumphs of your children; it’s wiping their tears and hiding the heartbreak their sadness causes you. Motherhood is learning, growing, and stretching to become the person you were destined to be; it’s loving someone so much you think your heart might actually explode. Often thankless, it’s the hardest, most challenging, hilarious, joyful, rewarding, cry-tears-of-joy, worth-it, job in the world.

How do you define motherhood? Add your definitions in the comments!