Overwhelmed mom quotes to encourage you when you feel like you’re drowning
In this post: Overwhelmed mom quotes for the exhausted, messy-bunned, leftovers-eating, LEGO-cursing mom in all of us.
I’m going to be honest, here. I typed in “overwhelmed mom quotes” in Google and the majority of quotes I found online were about how saintly mothers are, or how awesome it was to be a mom, or how funny mom life can be.
But that’s definitely NOT the full range of emotions you experience as a mother.
In fact, when I typed those words, autosuggest swiftly offered up this:
I’d say it’s safe to say that a large number of moms feel overwhelmed, unappreciated, overworked, and wonder, deep down, if they’re actually “a good mom”.
(Hint: if you’re wondering if you’re a good mom? You are.)
“Overwhelmed mom quotes” turned into romanticized quotes about the wonders of being a mom. (Not helpful if you’re feeling truly overwhelmed). Or how amazing the author’s mom was. (Again, that’s nice for them, but now I feel even worse, because I don’t feel wonderful right now.)
So I set out to find some quotes that felt better.
Now, I can’t deny that being a mom is one of my most treasured roles in life. So, I’m not avoiding the sappy quotes entirely in this list.
If you’re wanting to wax eloquent about your mom, or your life as a mom, some of these quotes will do the trick for a card or Instagram post. BUT I tried to make sure I included some quotes that spoke to the reality of being a truly overwhelmed mom. We’ve all been there. Less saccharine. More … salty?
In the end, it turned out to be a healthy mix of both. Enjoy!
Overwhelmed mom quotes for when you need confirmation this mom thing really IS hard
“A good mom has bad days & great days & normal days & overwhelming days & perfect days & trying days & supermom days & just being a mom days & a whole lot of love & real & crazy motherhood days.” ― Rachel Marie Martin
“If you’ve ever retreated behind your bedroom door and cried in overwhelm, you might be an introverted mother.” ― Jamie C. Martin, Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy
“Mothers are all slightly insane.” ― J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
“(24/7) once you sign on to be a mother, that’s the only shift they offer.” ― Jodi Picoult
“Mother is a verb. It’s something you do. Not just who you are.”―Cheryl Lacey Donovan
“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” ―Barbara Kingsolver
“Thus far the mighty mystery of motherhood is this: How is it that doing it all feels like nothing is ever getting done.” ― Rebecca Woolf
“…moms, even good ones, sometimes lose it a little so as not to lose it all.” ―Susan Squire
“Being a parent is dirty and scary and beautiful and hard and miraculous and exhausting and thankless and joyful and frustrating all at once. It’s everything.” ―Jill Smokler
“Such a mysterious business, motherhood. How brave a woman must be to embark on it.”―M. L. Stedman
“Motherhood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrow too. Nothing else ever will make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his own individuality especially while you struggle to keep your own.” ―Marguerite Kelly
“People very often say to me, ‘How did you do it, how did you raise a baby and write a book?’ And the answer is – I didn’t do housework for four years. I am not Superwoman. And um, living in squalor, that was the answer.” ―J.K. Rowling
“HERE’S THE THING about motherhood. It exhausts you and thrills you. It kicks you in the butt, and the very next second makes you feel like a superstar. Most of all, it teaches you to be selfless.” ―Julianne MacLean
- Motherhood is hard
- Motherhood is glorious
- Motherhood is hard
― Lisa-Jo Baker, Surprised by Motherhood
“Mothers talk about sleep the way someone who is starving talks about food.” ―Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Ph.D
“A mother continues to labor long after the baby is born.” ―Lisa-Jo Baker
“Motherhood is not for the faint-hearted. Frogs, skinned knees, and the insults of teenage girls are not meant for the wimpy.” ―Danielle Steel
“Motherhood is a constant battle of going to bed early so you can catch up on sleep and staying awake so you can enjoy some peace and sanity!” ―Comic Strip Mama
“Motherhood means I’m always a little bit awake, a little bit alert at all times.” ―Shonda Rhimes
“Motherhood is wonderful, but it’s also hard work. It’s the logistics more than anything. You discover you have reserves of energy you didn’t know you had.” —Deborah Mailman
“Motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person’s everything.” —Unknown
“Having children is like living in a frat house. Nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up.” —Ray Romano
“Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing.” —Ricki Lake
“Sleep at this point is just a concept, something I’m looking forward to investigating in the future.” —Amy Poehler
“A woman is like a teabag. You can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
“Behind every great kid is a mom who is pretty sure she is screwing it up.” —Unknown
“Motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person’s everything.” —Unknown
“Becoming a mother makes you realize you can do almost anything one-handed.” —Unknown
“Moms are like buttons — they hold everything together.” —Unknown
“Mothers don’t sleep. They just worry with their eyes closed.” —Unknown
“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” — Franklin P. Jones
“Trust yourself. You’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming.” — Robert Tew
Stay strong mom quotes for the days when the going gets tough
“The phrase “working mother” is redundant.” ―Jane Sellman
“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” — Barbara Kingsolver
“Perhaps it takes courage to raise children.” — John Steinbeck
“Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.” — Marion C. Garretty
“If you’re a mom, you’re a superhero. Period.” —Rosie Pope
“May your coffee be stronger than your toddler.” —Unknown
“Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had.” —Linda Wooten
“Sometimes even grown women need their mother’s comfort so we can just take a break from having to be strong all the time.” ― Colleen Hoover, It Ends with Us
Overwhelmed unappreciated mom quotes for when you feel unseen
“We don’t lose ourselves in parenthood. We find parts of ourselves we never knew existed.” ― L.R. Knost
“A mother need only step into the shower to be instantly reassured she is indispensable to every member of her family.” — Lynne Williams
“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” —Dr. Seuss
“I am not a has-been. I am a will be.” —Lauren Bacall
“Everybody wants to save the Earth; nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes.” —P.J. O’Rourke
What is a good mother quotes (for when you wondering if you are one)
“There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one.” —Jill Churchill
“The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” —James E. Faust
“A mother’s hug lasts long after she lets go.” —Unknown
Quotes for when you need to be reminded of your worth as a mom
“You are not ‘just’ anything Not just a woman Or just a friend A wife A partner Or just a mother You are a universe Made up of waves that brought life Stars that hold dreams Landscapes of home Rocks that will crumble but will always remain The winds gentle sway, and strongest roar You are someone’s ‘all’ And ‘all’ is not lost You are a mother But never, just” ― Jessica Urlichs, All I See Is You: Poems and Proses on Motherhood
“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” —Michelle Obama
“Mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.” —Emily Dickinson
“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” —Unknown
Inspirational quotes for struggling moms
“Motherhood isn’t a typical love story, it’s the raw unedited version with all the outtakes, which is what makes it the most beautiful love story of all[.]” ― Jessica Urlichs
“There is nothing in the world of art like the songs mother used to sing.” —Billy Sunday
“The best medicine in the world is a mother’s kiss.” —Anonymous
“The days are long, but the years are short.” —Gretchen Rubin
“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” —Princess Diana
Quotes that prove motherhood sometimes IS a laughing matter
“Silence is golden. Unless you have kids. Then silence is just suspicious.” —Unknown
“Any mother could perform the jobs of several air traffic controllers with ease.” —Unknown
“Nothing is really lost until your mom can’t find it.” —Unknown
“Sooner or later we all quote our mothers.” —Bernard Williams
Quotes for when you feel judged or looked down on
“Don’t waste a second of your time convincing other people you’re worth loving.” —Atticus
“You are not responsible for other people’s opinions, feelings, or perceptions of you. They own that, not you.” —Shane Parrish
Calming quotes for when you’re feeling anxious
“Cultivate calm and stillness[.]” —Brené Brown
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” —Maya Angelou
“Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.” —Jodi Picoult
Overwhelmed mom quotes for when you don’t know what to do
“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.” —Theodore Roosevelt
I won't look too far ahead It's too much for me to take But break it down to this next breath This next step This next choice is one that I can make So I'll walk through this night Stumbling blindly toward the light And do the next right thing —Frozen II, “The Next Right Thing”
Quotes to remind you of just how important your role as a mother is
“I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more wars.” —E. M. Forster
“Acceptance, tolerance, bravery, compassion. These are the things my mom taught me.” —Lady Gaga
Being a mom can be overwhelming at times, but the quotes shared in this blog post serve as a reminder that many moms experience similar feelings and struggles. I hope you received some comfort and encouragement from them.
So, the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to read one of these quotes and remember that you’re not alone.
While you’re at it, take a deep breath and repeat after me, “Even though I don’t feel like it sometimes, I am a good mother.”
P.S. Don’t forget to give yourself a break and practice self-care!
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