Episode 16: Mom Guilt

Hi there freemoms, and welcome to the show. 

Have you ever heard the phrase “mom guilt”? If you’re responsible for any human beings and you also happen to work in some way, shape, or form, have a relationship that you’d like to keep, and live in a home that needs some form of maintenance, you will be all too familiar with it. 

The very definition of guilt is “the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty.” Yikes. Let’s look an alternative. “feelings of deserving blame especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy.” Oh yes, yes, there it is. Welcome to motherhood.

If you ask me, mom guilt is quite frankly the feeling of getting swallowed whole by a life that’s pulling you in more directions than your body and mind are able to bear. From kids and spouses to work and career - all the needs of life chomp us to bits and we end up feeling like no matter how hard we try, it’s not good enough. Failure becomes our constant companion. 

So how do change this internal narrative? What can moms do to let go, keep the faith, and give ourselves a bit more grace? Let’s find out.

With me today is Raena Boston, Co-Founder of Chamber of Mothers, an advocacy group that works to get mothers’ and caregivers' rights front and center.  She also heads up “The Working Momtras”, an online community that builds connections between working moms and helps women dissolve the definition of “having it all” to create their own.