I am So Much Cooler Online

Someone asked me the other day, “Do you go to Breckenridge every weekend?”  No, no I don’t. In fact, I have been to the mountains approximately one time this year.  (I used to ski 30 days a year so this is quite the change of lifestyle for me).  On that one visit I braved the weather, a bus ride, a gondola ride and a hike up a very large hill to the bunny slope only to have my son take a few runs before throwing a giant public fit over needing a “snack.”  THAT was our skiing experience.  But online it must have looked like the most enjoyable day ever.  This made me realize that my life looks much better to the outside world than it really is.  I look like I am off skiing every weekend or out at some fancy dinner or hiking Red Rocks.  But that is because I, like most of us these days, am guilty of completely white washing my life online.  After all, your online persona is the one thing in this world that you can actually control so why not make it look amazing?  I am lucky to have two beautiful and incredibly photographic children so this is actually quite easy. 

Just to put things in perspective, let me share a few highlights from the last few weeks of my real life.  One day I thought I would be a good mother and take my children out for ice cream.  It is the one thing you can actually walk to in our suburban neighborhood.  The ice cream shop is about a mile away – or at least it used to be.  Doesn’t that sound so perfect -a walk with the kids to the ice cream store?  I drug my two children out in 60 degree weather and within 30 minutes it dropped 30 degrees.  I did not bother to bring coats for anyone.  But we pushed ahead, following the promise of fresh churned ice cream.  When we finally made it to strip mall where the ice cream shop once stood we saw an empty store.  Not even the nearby donut shop was open.  I think I saw tears in my son’s eyes.  We turned around and headed home into near tornadic winds.  My son SCREAMED at the top of his lungs the entire way.  When we finally made it home I let him skip dinner in lieu of a big ice cream cone.  Good mom award. 

The next day my son did something that really made me proud.  He took off all of his clothes at naptime, pooped on his nice clean bed and then picked it up and brought it into the toilet.  This was the first of many potty related incidents that filled the rest of the week.  I was called out of a gym class to find my son drenched in his own pee.  The only good news on the potty front:  my son has recently perfected the art of peeing outside.  My father will be so proud.

Meanwhile, my 6 month old daughter decided that sleep is overrated.  She didn’t need more than an hour at a time.  One week of getting up 6-7 times a night so I am really loving life.  The beauty of her middle of the night feedings is multiplied by the fact that I now work at 5am every morning. 

As a working mom I treasure every moment with my children, even if they are filled with potty accidents or screaming babies in the middle of the night.  But I also usually enjoy taking a break from those kids and engaging in a professional environment.  Or at least I did. Until the TV show I work for was cancelled.   “Piers Morgan Live” came to an end last Friday.  So, now I just work really hard to remind the world every day that a Malaysian airplane is still missing (in case you hadn’t heard) on various other programs at CNN.  I have to admit that I spend most of my time in yoga pants with a phone glued to my ear and right now it feels anything but professional.

So, next time you see a smiling picture of my kids online remember that there are countless crying, screaming, pooping moments I did not share.  It is the white washed version of my life.  As mothers we need to remind each other that everyone has moments when you just want to quit and walk away.  The smiles and laughs make us stay. (Oh, and it is illegal to quit the job of motherhood)  I wouldn’t trade this life for anything in the world.