Calling all overworked, overtired, overlooked, over-all-the-things moms, please hear this.

Your smile is beautiful. But your smile does not define you.

Did you catch that?

You have a beautiful, contagious smile, I’m certain of it. People love to see you smile. It shows your joy and comfort and exudes your warmth. But you don’t have to wear it 100% of the time. Just like you don’t wear your favorite black strappy sandals every minute of every day, your smile can spend a little time in the closet too.

Just because you take some time to stop, breathe, and let those cheek muscles rest, doesn’t make you any less successful in all parts of your life. It does not define your happiness. We are all entitled to have off days. Especially as moms. Momming is hard and it takes a toll on us. When our kids are little, the unpredictable nature of our day-to-day routine is daunting.

We want to stay positive for all the people in our lives. We want to smile through the difficulty, but we don’t have to. It’s ok not to sometimes. Give yourself some grace.

If you’re anything like me, you try to be “on” at all times. At home, at work, in public, in private, at church, at social gatherings. I don’t do it because I’m trying to impress anyone. I do it because I’m trying to pass along my positive outlook to the people who matter in my world, especially the small ones. My struggles, my pain, my anxiety, my stress… that can all happen in the confines of a closed door, by myself, with no one watching.

But wait a second, why do we do that? Why do we feel like we have to hide if we’re not smiling? Social media standards? Comparison? Fear of judgement?
Throw all those things out the window right now because none of them matter.

Don’t get me wrong. I love to smile. I love to laugh. I’m generally a positive person.

That said, I'm also human. I allow myself to have off days. And in those days, I remind myself to breathe, relax, cut myself some slack and let my cheek muscles rest for a minute. I encourage you to do the same.

So girls, if you don’t want to show your teeth today to justify your happiness, give them a break. Your smile doesn’t define you.

You can show them again tomorrow ;)