Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley was willing her bad day to just end already.
This wife, mother of three, school psychologist, and accidental homeschooler's husband had been working nonstop. Her kids kept passing different winter illnesses back and forth. Everyone was on edge.
Curley told LittleThings, "Some days I feel like I'm rocking this motherhood gig, while other days I am ready to wave the white flag."
By the time bath time rolled around on this particular day, her white flag was soaring high.
In her darkest hour, though, soaking wet and completely exhausted, her little girl gifted her a precious surprise. She asked to take Mommy's picture for one beautiful and unexpected reason.
Curley shares all sorts of arduous yet heartwarming moments like these on her blog, My Little Poppies, diligently documenting her truth to help other mommies brave their own tricky parenting moments.
Scroll through to read Curley's full, beautiful story about this moment and what it taught her about being a parent.
[H/T: My Little Poppies]
Children are precious works in progress, each uniquely inching their way toward figuring out who they're going to be in life. Along that journey, they test all sorts of different boundaries.
In 2015, Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley's children were pushing her to her limits.
The following is a story Curley originally shared on her blog, detailing how she barely survived this particularly exhausting day, until something remarkable happened.
On Motherhood
By Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley
"Hello there, Mama.
"You look tired. Has this been a day? Trust me, I know those days.
"Come here and sit down for a minute. I want to tell you the story about a photo."
"Let me set the scene: a Monday evening in late January of last year.
"My husband had been working like a dog for over a week. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I had barely seen him for days.
"The kids were just getting over their latest in a series of winter illnesses and they were post-sick crabby and tired.
"It had been a long week already, and it was only Monday. I was tired from flying solo with sick kids, tired from responding to sick calls in the night, tired from… well… everything."
"I was deep in the winter doldrums, longing for sunshine and fresh air.
"On this night, I was trying to wrangle the kids. It was time for a tub and I needed the kids to go to bed ASAP in order to preserve the last remaining bits of my sanity.
"That’s right: I was wishing them to bed. I was counting the minutes left in this hell-of-a-day."
"Of course, when my children are over-tired and coming off of an illness, they don’t act tired.
"Instead, they behave like wild hooligans. And that’s exactly what was happening on this night.
"While I walked the upstairs hall, picking up discarded clothing for my next round of laundry, I begged the kids to get in the tub.
"My daughter obliged but the boys were out of control. They ran, naked, shrieking up and down the hallway."
"Meanwhile, I had the familiar throbbing above my left eye that migraine sufferers are all-too-familiar with. Because of this, I didn’t want to raise my voice over their already-too-loud havoc.
"Eventually, somehow, I managed to corral their wild little bodies into the bathroom and get them into the bath, which at this point was lukewarm."
"While my sweet girl scrubbed herself clean, the boys continued their antics — this time, with water.
"I pleaded with them to wet their heads, to use shampoo, to use a little soap, to calm the heck down. They responded with peals of laughter and abundant splashing.
"I was losing the battle, running out of steam, silently berating myself for having been a grouchy mom all weekend."
"My daughter stepped out of the bath and I handed her a towel. At that moment, my youngest finally poured water over his head but he did so in such a wild manner that the water ended up pouring down my entire left side, soaking my shirt and pant leg.
"The boys erupted into raucous laughter.
"I didn’t have an ounce of energy left. I didn’t yell, I didn’t say anything. Instead, I sat down on a nearby bathroom stool.
"It was probably the first time I had sat down all day. This was my white flag, folks. This mom was done. Toast. Kaput.
"It was at that very moment, as I sat on that stool and watched the puddles on my bathroom floor grow in size, that my daughter approached with my iPhone in her hand.
"'Mum,' she said, 'you look beautiful today. Can I take your picture?'
"My sweet girl is the kindest little soul. I smiled for her photo because how could I not, and plus, as I said, I was too tired to budge. She took this photo…"
"I love this photo. I think it captures the essence of motherhood.
"When I look into that mother’s eyes, I see a mom who is tired. I can tell she has a headache — I can see it in her eyes. But I see something else, too. I see a genuine smile, a look of love and of gratitude directed toward a very sweet girl.
"I see a look of understanding that, even on the days when we feel that we are failing miserably, our children see past it and love us despite it all."
"Even on our worst days, we are creating something very special as we help these little people navigate their way through this crazy world.
"Motherhood is a sacred, miraculous job. It is messy. And loud. And utterly, completely, mind-numbingly exhausting. But, it is a short season and we must remember that there is beauty in the mundane.
"There is joy in the ordinary. There is happiness in the chaos. My daughter was wise enough to recognize it that night and capture it forever, and for that I am grateful. Children are our wisest teachers."
"So, the next time you find yourself sitting on a potty stool with wet pants, a migraine, a burgeoning bad mood, wild children, and a mess to clean, know this: even on your worst parenting days, being a mother is a beautiful gift and a very short season."
When Curley least expected it, her daughter turned what seemed destined to be another parenting blunder-of-a-day into a beautiful memory she'll now never forget.
What do you think of this mommy's story? What's been one of your toughest challenges as a mom? Tell us your story in the comments.
For more amazing stories from Curley, check out her blog, My Little Poppies.
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