Parenting isn't a battle, it's a war

Oh, you thought you were going to be that mom this weekend? The one who confidently announces to everyone within earshot that little R is going to be potty-trained in three days flat? Cool. Cool cool cool.

Let me paint you a picture of my weekend reality check: 7:35 AM wake-up call (because apparently children don't understand the concept of sleeping in), and by 8:20 AM I'm ugly crying in my kitchen because my parenting skills just got absolutely demolished by a tiny human who refuses to pee in anything that isn't the floor.

Here's the thing nobody tells you about those ambitious three-day weekend plans: they're basically just extended opportunities for public humiliation. I went into this weekend like some sort of potty-training warrior, texting everyone I know about my foolproof plan. Teachers, friends, family, probably the mailman. "This is it!" I declared. "We're doing this thing!"

Spoiler alert: We did not do this thing.

Three days later, my son is still rocking diapers like it's his job, and I'm over here questioning every life choice that led me to this moment. You know what I've learned? I genuinely hate three-day weekends. There, I said it. While everyone else is posting about their amazing family adventures, I'm over here dreading the extra day of chaos, dreading the buildup, and then dreading the inevitable crash back to reality on Monday.

But here's where I had my lightbulb moment (somewhere between cleaning up accident number 47 and questioning my sanity): I was beating myself up for "only lasting an hour" this morning before my emotions took over. But honey, those emotions didn't just show up at 8:20 AM like some unwelcome house guest. They've been building up for days, weeks, months. Every tantrum, every failed attempt at being the Pinterest mom I thought I'd become, every moment where I felt like I was drowning in goldfish crackers and sticky fingerprints.

So if you're reading this while hiding in your pantry eating stale cereal straight from the box (no judgment, we've all been there), remember this: You're not capturing your entire parenting journey in one rough morning. You're not the worst mom because you cried before 9 AM. You're not lazy because you didn't conquer potty training in a long weekend like some sort of diaper-defeating superhero.

You're human. You're tired. You're doing your best in a job that doesn't come with a manual, adequate sleep, or even a decent lunch break.

That one moment when you lost it? That's not your whole story. It's just Tuesday morning, and tomorrow is a fresh start to potentially fail at something completely different.

And honestly? That's perfectly okay.