When I began writing about motherhood and my small and not-so-small stumbles along the way, a beautiful thing happened. Instead of the “laugh with me” attitude I expected from everyone atop their perfect motherhood mountains, I received “Me too’s.”

Your kid dressed as a Disney princess for four months straight? Me, too.
Your kid talks back to you when you ask him to clean his room? Mine, too.
You’ve felt judged or excluded by other moms before? Me, too.
You yelled at your kid yesterday and felt guilty (or not guilty) about it? Me, too.
You hid in the bathroom just for five minutes alone? Me, too.
You forgot to sign the thing, to show up to the thing, to send the thing to school? Me, too.
Your kid had a grocery store meltdown that had you seriously considering driving to the next town for all your grocery needs for the next few weeks? Sister, I live there.

On some days, we rock this motherhood thing. Everyone is fully dressed, mostly matches, has eaten breakfast, and we aren’t late. And sometimes we’re THAT MOM. The Hot Mess mom, the “pajamas in the drop off line” mom, the “can’t get it together” mom…and you know what? It’s okay.

When I’m THAT MOM, I’m letting my kids know that none of us is perfect. (Isn’t that nice of me?) I’m not perfect, they aren’t, and we’re just doing the dang best we can. I have good days and bad days as a mom. I have days when I can crank out a Pinterest-worthy Bento lunchbox and others when I tell the kids to eat whatever they can reach in the pantry. And that’s okay, too.

My kids have days when they are the poster children for why people should have kids…fun, funny, sweet, and getting along with each other. Sometimes they have days when they get into a WWE-worthy fistfight over the one matchbox car that everyone wants, even though we have, like, a jillion matchbox cars.

I guess what I’m saying is…we’re all, at one time or another, THAT MOM. Whatever motherhood flags we fly…working/SAHM, breastfeeding/formula, helicopter/free-range…it’s okay. The organic food moms should give themselves permission to hit the drive-thru and not feel guilty. The Pinterest snack moms can buy something from the bakery every once in a while and be okay with it. The hot mess mom can have a win…you are fully dressed today and you wore makeup. Bravo! But don’t feel bad if it doesn’t happen every day.

Let’s be easy on ourselves and easy on other moms. Let’s buy THAT MOM a cup of coffee or pick her kids up from school if today isn’t going perfectly. Because when I’m THAT MOM (and there are many, many days when I am), I’m grateful for the solidarity of “Me, too.”