We scratch our babies backs and sing them soft lullaby’s as we lull them into sweet dreams.

“Everything’s going to be alright,” we whisper into their ears as they doze off.

And they calm down and fall asleep to our hushes,

because with one little touch, we can make their worlds all better.

Mommy can always fix what’s bothering them: a lost pacifier, or a bad dream. She can swoop in and make it all better like the hero they know her to be.

But she doesn't have superpowers.

She’s fallible, and oh so tired--

exhausted even.

You see, she’s been fighting mental illness on top of a pandemic.

She’s been worrying about all the unknowns in a scary world.

She’s been worrying about her kids every second of the day.

She’s been trying to make everyone’s world as normal as possible, and that involves a lot of worry and self-doubt--

so, her world keeps spinning and spinning.

And guess who’s forgotten? Her.

Us moms with mental illness have complex problems and by no means expect anyone to solve them for us--but, sometimes we need our backs scratched too.

We need some care.

We want someone to tell us that everything’s going to be alright,

even if they aren’t sure.

We’re so busy taking care of everything and everyone that it’s no wonder we’re forgotten.

Don’t let her carry all the burden alone.

It’s slowly killing her every day, taking any inner light left and replacing it with darkness.

It gets lonely and overwhelming in that darkness.

So, give her some of your light,

as a hand to hold or an arm about her shoulders.

Listen to her,

And I mean really listen to her.

Mothers need to be heard,

because we’re humans that struggle too.

We need someone to scratch our backs and let us know that we’re loved,

and everything’s going to be alright.

And, no, it won’t make her world all better,

but It will make the spinning stop long enough for her to take a deep breath in

and gain back strength before she’s sent back into orbit.

And that can make all the difference.

*This post for Mental Health Month is dedicated to the moms with mental illness. We have a lot on our plates, especially during a pandemic (but we're still apart of the 1 in 5). We need to care for ourselves and be cared for in order to have the strength to care for our children.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId