Welcome to a new week of #TMAthisishowwedo! If you are just now following along to my new weekly series, catch up on they why behind it, on this post. This week’s topic is, “When Google Is My Therapist.”
How many times a week (or day!) do you find yourself turning to Google for the most random circumstances that come up in your life? I definitely have some silly (and crazy) Google searches, more so since becoming a mom, even more so since my baby turned into a toddler.
Seeing as how Google is every mom’s on-call therapist… 😂 I rounded up some mama’s to share their most recent Google search for #tmathisishowwedo Motherhood + Google. For every facepalm moment of motherhood, there’s a Google search for it. They go hand in hand, am I right!! 😅 This week is a two part series, part two will be coming next week! Read below for some relatable and real-life Googles from moms:
Real Things I’ve Googled In The Moment
That time I googled…WHY WONT MY TODDLER LISTEN?!
My stress, my energy, my lack of patience… it rubs off on my toddler. Sometimes that’s a hard pill to swallow, but that’s why TRUE self care is so important. When we are running on empty, we have no patience. No care to be silly, no energy to just BE, no TIME to agree to an outfit change, or “one more book” before bedtime.
The thing this parenting gig as taught me is that I am usually the problem. Yup. ME.
My energy, happiness, confidence, and patience is what steers our relationship. It’s a constant practice… but parenting is about practicing and learning, more than perfection.” –Cassie, @vivfitcoaching
“I don’t have a specific thing I’ve googled — I have so many! Google has literally been my mentor through parenting. Baby won’t stop crying? Ask google. Can’t figure out how to fix the garbage disposal after your kid threw rocks in it? Ask google. Need a playground nearby to kill 20 minutes with a toddler before school pickup? Ask google.
Google is legit my friend most days. Except for the days when you google something and realize…NOBODY ELSE HAS EVER EXPERIENCED THIS because no results show up. That’s when real panic ensues and you start questioning all your life decisions. But most days, we are bff’s and I’m not sure how anyone parented before it!” –Lois, @lookinatlo
“My sweet preschool daughter is very tender and reacts to my tone, volume, facial expressions, and silence. It left me feeling like the bad guy constantly and wanting a way to train her up that also brought us closer together.
And I found wonderful ideas! Like broadcasting – saying what’s happening instead of commands like “oh your crying hard, it hurt your feelings” instead of “shhhh, it’s okay”. BUT ultimately I knew my biggest problem was wanting to get discipline over with quickly so I could keep doing whatever I was doing INSTEAD of prioritize training my kids enough so that taking the time to talk with her about things wouldn’t drive me nuts!
When I prioritize raising my girls to be whole-hearted individuals, I create margin in my day to make sure there will be room for the mistakes, tantrums, heart to hearts that really need that time. And life feels a whole lot less stressful at home! They know they have mama’s attention if they need it and I can tell it’s given them a deep sense of security. I still mess up all the time, but I’m giving myself grace and trying again and that’s enough!
Google can’t teach me how to be a mom, but it definitely helps!” –Dana, @danamariekirkland
“Google is my go-to for absolutely everything – what I find myself googling the absolute most are recipes and mom how-to’s. For instance, I’d search “what chili pepper do I use for enchilada sauce.” I usually throw together recipes by memory, but sometimes I have to look up a recipe just to be sure how to make it. Same with parenting how-tos. I’ve searched “how to potty train” with all three of my kids – I’m always open to trying new methods. I mean, every kid is different. Each milestone is different too.
I’ve always been an incredibly open minded person and mom. I don’t take offense when people offer parenting advice or cooking advice. We’re all learning something new everyday and I’m always down to be open on a new outlook. I don’t question myself too much and approach things in a way where I think “I got this!” But when i doubt, I’m not afraid to open up.” —@analeaclaire.co
“Ok, so…this one is deeply personal, and I’m ok sharing it because it might be a root of secret shame for some else, but when I was in the thick of it (overwhelmingness of motherhood, 3 under 3, Postpartum depression, depression in general), I googled “I hate motherhood. Help.” And I read some amazing articles that helped me find out a) I wasn’t alone and b) what to do: (ie. Tell someone, find community, step-by step process of what parts you hate, putting changes in place for your health).
It was the hardest thing to google, but what followed was freedom from not carrying my secret any more, freedom from inner anger/shame/etc. I became a voice for advocacy (because it’s not all peachy) and turns out it was an avenue for others to feel safe once I shared my story to share their struggles as well.” –Andi, @wildflower.journey
“My daughter tends to wake up multiple times throughout the night. There are nights where she wakes up more than other nights, and those are the hardest to cope with on every level. There is so much frustration and desperation to find a solution to help her sleep so that I can sleep too. I have searched online if it’s safe to give a 2-year old melatonin or any other natural sleep aid because I feel like I have tried every suggestion out there and nothing is helping.
I feel bad wanting to give her a supplement or ‘drug’ to make her sleepy or sleep longer, but my exhaustion is also taking a toll on me. The worst part is that when I share this struggle with other people every single person has judged me or made me feel like it’s my fault she doesn’t sleep well (we live in a one bedroom apartment, and share the same room). It’s a struggle to sleep and a struggle to seek help or seek comfort that this will one day pass. Until then, I will keep searching for ways my daughter can have uninterrupted sleep.” –Liset, @heytherechucks
Tune back in next week for part two of this “When Google Is My Therapist” series to see what other real-girls like you have googled in their times of motherhood desperation 🙂
