I know before I write this that it is going to cause a stir. Some will love it. Some will hate it. It will make some angry. Some will cheer me on. Someone will inevitably say, "I bet tomorrow you’ll want to take away women’s right to vote!"

I will write it anyway, because it needs to be said.

The photo below was taken on the interstate.

It says “Where’s baby? Look before you lock.” While I am thankful that the great state of Tennessee is trying to protect its children, I am broken-hearted that it has to.

The problem here is not with working moms. It’s not with stay-at-home moms. It’s not with work-from-home moms. It’s with all the moms. All the pressures. All the responsibilities. All the busyness.

You see, in an effort to show the world women can do ANYTHING, we have created a world where women do EVERYTHING.

Of course we can do anything. We are women. Women are strong, intelligent, sympathetic, nurturing, kind and diligent.

We work. We care for the kids. We run errands. We call plumbers and mechanics. We cook the meals. We clean the house. We do the laundry. We do all the things that need to be done.

Not because men cannot do it, but because we demanded they let us. We forced our way into carrying the weight of income provider and mother and head of household. We said we could do it just as well, maybe better, and slowly we took over. We took on the responsibility of man and woman.

We created a world in which we have to be reminded our babies are in the back seat.

Because we can’t do it all. There is no balance. There’s just a bunch of women who are doing a lot of things but feeling defeated at the end of the day because they couldn’t do it all.

Mama, you weren’t created to do it all.

I understand we wanted equality. We wanted them to make space for us in the workplace. We wanted to be respected and seen. We wanted to be valued. We wanted to leave our mark on the world.

And in our own homes we didn’t feel seen, respected or valued. Because babies don’t give promotions, raises or achievement awards.

I was a working mom. I was a stay-at-home mom. I am a work-from-home mom.

I’ve worn all three hats so I speak from a seat of experience when I tell you that we need to take a step back and remember what is important.

It’s important we have clarity of mind to remember our babies are in the car.

It’s important we have free space in our day to enjoy life that is happening around us.

It’s important we raise our children to be kind and to love others.

It’s important we love our husbands well and create relationships that support each other.

It’s important we don’t forget to raise our own children.

We can not do it all. We have to stop striving so hard to prove that we deserve to be here. Our value must come from within not from how many things we can check off of a three page to-do list.

Take off the cape, Mama, you weren’t intended to carry all the weight.

“Where’s baby? Look before you lock.”

Related video: