It seemed as though there was nothing I could do to escape my feelings of anguish as a mom. No matter the situation, I felt guilty for doing anything that didn’t involve my child, whether going to work, writing, cleaning the house, or even grabbing 30 minutes of “me time” here and there.

The guilt of being a modern mom weighed heavier than ever on me. This would bring me down more often than not. I said no to going to events and lunches with friends, turned my husband down for date night, and skipped doing important things. Choosing to do those activities somehow made me a bad mom. I worried about everything, felt guilty for worrying too much, and then worried some more about whether or not I was doing enough worrying. Motherhood became this scary venture that required me to be present at all times. Rather than a fun adventure, I was on with a new and developing little person.

It seemed likely mom guilt would consume me and turn me (and my poor daughter) into a veritable hermit. I was never leaving the house, listening to “Baby Shark” and the Daniel Tiger theme song repeatedly, and eating whatever scraps were leftover from my toddler’s meal.

Learning to Let Go of Mom Guilt

Understood My Duty to My Daughter

I was fortunate to have a friend help me snap back to reality and step away from the guilt. My guilt seemed to peak when I considered skipping a huge opportunity to travel for work. My best friend saw it as an opportune time to intervene. “Imagine how your daughter will feel if she finds out you didn’t take every opportunity you could to better your career that you love,” she said. She pointed out that in an age where women are doing more and being more while still being treated as less, it was my duty to my little girl to show her that work and life balance is possible and that my dream of having a career did not have to conflict so directly with my dream of being a mama.

I wanted to stomp my foot in protest and say feeding and caring for her was my duty. However, she read my mind and cut me off before I even started saying, “Pretty soon, she’s going to be watching and learning from you, and you can use this as a chance to show her that you should go after your dreams and goals.” Her reality check helped me create an action plan to drop my guilt, reclaim my joy in motherhood, and pursue what I enjoy outside of my daughter.

Checked (Emotional) Baggage

I knew my thoughts towards motherhood stemmed from my complicated relationship with my mother growing up: she loved me, of course, but she wasn’t what you’d call “hands-on.” She was less Marge Simpson or June Cleaver and more like the mom from Matilda—never wanting to be bothered by silly children with silly thoughts or feelings.

I decided to be the antithesis of her if I could. My tightly wound and helicopter style of parenting was born the minute my daughter was. I convinced myself that the time I spent with my daughter equated to my incredible love for her. Thankfully, the rational side of me acknowledged that there are moms worldwide seeing their children for moments at a time. They go to work and provide for those children whom they love so dearly. Time spent doesn’t have to be measured in quantity but in quality. It sounds so simplistic, but I realized I am an active and involved mother who likes to make our time together count. It assured me that she wouldn’t forget that as she grows.

Remembered Me Before Mom(me)

I have never known how to be still. While this is both good and bad, I realized I was accidentally teaching my daughter how to be complacent in this bubble I’d created for us. We had the same routine and patterns because the mom guilt that accompanied “messing up” her schedule was too intense for me to ignore. I stopped going to almost anything I was invited to, didn’t answer the phone past a certain hour, and even ditched my grandparents to avoid derailing my daughter’s bedtime by 10 minutes.

Though my guilt was pretty extreme in some of these circumstances, it also forced me to consider that I was getting burnt out. I hadn’t done something for and by myself in so long that I had forgotten what it was that I even liked to do before becoming a mom—and so I resolved to do at least two things per month (starting with baby steps!) that would be fun or relaxing that did not include my daughter. It’s been a month so far, and I already feel like a better mom because of it.

Mom as the First Friend, Not the Only Friend

My BFF pointed out that my daughter and I shouldn’t be the only friends or social interactions the other has. I had sudden visions of my poor, socially awkward daughter trying to navigate school, work, and reality and struggling to do so because I had monopolized her time. She loves me, of course (because who doesn’t love their main food supply?), but that doesn’t mean I am the only person she should love or spend time with. Her grandparents, cousins, aunts, and godparents can teach her things I would never be able to. Why would I want her to miss these important and fun opportunities because I was too scared or guilty or worried?

It’s Good to Let Go a Bit

Working towards dropping the mom guilt made me more aware of my guilt. It stemmed from the fear of missing out on something with my girl like I did with my mother. I’ve realized I am a lot more fun when I’m half as stressed out and that a future where my daughter only loves or trusts me is not the best one for her to have.

Part of this process has meant letting go of the control of being her one and only all the time. And that’s not to say I’m not still that for her most of the time, but relenting has given her a whole new world of engaging and fun relationships. She and my husband go places together now, just the two of them, to encourage me to get back to the things I enjoy doing casually. Above all else, I’ve learned that feelings of guilt, anxiety, and nervousness are part of the mothering process—but they shouldn’t be the central part. Letting go of the mama guilt has given me more joy and clarity than I could have hoped for. I’m no less a good mom because I’m not wrought with guilt or constantly breathing down her neck.