Through the Seasons of Motherhood

I saw an ad for a documentary about perimenopause, and it made me pause and reflect on this strangely beautiful, exhausting reality of motherhood. You go through the highs and lows of hormones while carrying your baby for nine months, then face postpartum for a year or so. Just as you start finding your rhythm again, you’re navigating perimenopause in your late 30s to mid-40s—all while juggling work and trying to keep a decent household together. Then comes menopause. And later on, you find yourself caring for your grandkids in your senior years. It made me realize that every phase brings its own quiet battles for every woman. Why do we have to go through all these stages? And yet, somehow, we always find a way through. So yeah, I guess we have every right to not be okay sometimes—because we’re carrying more than we’re meant to hold all at once. It’s okay to feel guilty when you choose to rest or pamper yourself instead of movie night with the kids. It’s okay to give them pizza for dinner when you’re too tired to think about what to cook. It’s okay to feel like you’re falling short—whether in your career or in motherhood—because your mind is running on too many tabs at once. It’s okay to have questions about what’s happening to you, questions that have lingered for years without clear answers. It’s okay if you’re not the best version of yourself right now—because the truth is, your body is going through its own kind of chaos. And still, in the middle of all this beautiful chaos, you continue to show up. You continue to care, to protect, to love. That quiet strength you carry—it spills over to your family in ways you don’t always see. So allow yourself to feel it all—the highs and the lows. Like the changing seasons, they come and go. And in the days you find yourself again, your family quietly finds their strength in you.