I got in a fight this morning.

Don't worry, I won. Did you expect any less?

I'm a fudgin' mom and WE. DON'T. LOSE.

Okay. Okay. Sometimes we lose.

We lose our keys, cellphones, patience, and sanity on the daily, but fights, we never lose those.

Wait; unless they are with an unreasonable toddler, then it is more likely we will face defeat.

Still, on the regular, us mommas fight battles every day and come out victorious.

You don't want to eat your green beans? Fine. I'll hide some kale in your smoothie.

WIN.

You don't want to go to school today? Well, Santa doesn't bring toys to kids who don't go to school. Oh, okay, you want to go now?

WIN.

You want to play computer games, but I want you to do your homework. Darn that unstable wifi going out every day at homework time.

WIN.

Winning. Winning. Winning.

Winning menial mental battles with my three children all day long.

Do you know what other kinds of battles I win? Those within my head.

Yep. It's a dangerous place in there, but I make the journey every day, always encountering either a familiar or new challenge or worry and still coming out the victor.

Oh, Hi, Anxiety. Do you want to ruin my day? Flip off. I'm not having it.

WIN.

Hey there, Judgment. Do you want to make me feel bad about how I look or any of the gazillion parenting mistakes I have made so far today? Not going to let you.

WIN.

Hello, Stranger. Are you hoping to bring me down today just because you find it fun to stir the pot? I stir myself up enough that I'm perfectly blended and balanced. Now, get on your way.

WIN.

These are just a few examples of the internal and external battles I win every day.

So how did I get the bloody finger? Via car seat installation.

I mom so hard I'm willing to bleed to make sure I've insured my child's car seat correctly.

Should car seat installation be so hard? No, and maybe it's not for most.

Was I probably doing something wrong and making things harder than they needed to be? Every day, so why would this be any different?

Did I get the car seat installed correctly? I made darn sure I did.

Does my children's safety mean everything to me? Absolutely.

A little blood never hurt anyone.

Scratch that. A little blood hurts little Johnny, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME., but you, my strong mama friend, are not little Johnny.

I've been giving up my blood for my kiddos since they were in utero and we shared a blood supply.

I will give up time, sanity, energy, and yes, EVEN BLOOD, every darn day for the rest of my life to ensure the safety, health, and happiness of my three offspring.

Go ahead and fight like a mom -- no one is tougher.