Motherhood is wonderful.  Because of my children I have

experienced more joy, more laughter, more love, and

more wonder than I ever thought possible.  I have also

experienced such frustration, despondency, fatigue and

assaults on my sanity that at one point I wondered if

parenthood should be banned under Common Article 3

of the Geneva Convention on the grounds that it

constitutes torture.  In short, it is one tough gig...

 

So begins the first article of Memoirs of a Frazzled Mum.  

I started writing this when my children were small in

an effort to see the funny side of the mess, noise, chaos,

sleep deprivation and insanity of my life as a parent.  It helped.  We'd just moved to a new city and I knew no one.  And so through the writing I got to say all of the things that I couldn't articulate to another human.  That experience has reinforced for me just how isolated some parents feel.  Even when I did start to make new friends, I found that I was still reluctant to admit that as a mother I felt completely out of my depth.  Whenever I was foolish enough to stop and look at my life, everything seemed wrong.  I'd put on weight.  My kids misbehaved.  My house was a mess.  All of my daily tasks were boring as hell and I had no social life.  In contrast, everyone around me seemed to be coping with parenthood so much better.  To admit that I was struggling felt like admitting failure.  

 

That was then.  Now I know better.  Every mother feels like that.  Every parent struggles.  And so, if you are feeling inept, overwhelmed, confused, exhausted and kind of pissed off with life, then read on because you are not alone.  Oh, and by the way, it does get better.