My Struggle with Mom Guilt
Let’s talk about mom guilt. It’s something we all feel, but rarely ever talk about. For me personally, I feel mom guilt every single day. I know it’s because I’m way too hard on myself. I try to do what’s best, but sometimes, I just don’t have the energy and that brings on the guilt.
I’m the mom who puts on a movie when her young daughter wants to play and said let’s watch this together. I wanted to relax instead of walking to the park.
I’m the mom who skips ahead on the bedtime story to get to the end faster and hopes that my little one won’t notice.
I’m the mom who feels bad when she has to work when she knows her kids want her attention.
And lots, lots more! I could write a novel if I were to list every little thing I feel guilty about, but I’ll spare you the details. Just know that I totally understand what mom guilt feels like.
A new ConAgra Foods survey of 1,000 moms had some interesting findings I could relate to. They include:
- 75% feel time-strapped as a mom
- 58% feel guilty about not spending enough quality time with her family, and wish they felt less guilty as a mom
- 58% said they don’t have enough time to cook from scratch
I’m sitting here nodding my head as I read these over. I always feel like there is never enough hours in the day to conquer my to-do list. I feel bad that I can’t spend more quality time with my kids and would love to stop feeling so bad about it. Lastly, I’d love to be able to cook from scratch every day, but that just isn’t happening!
Meal time stress is a big source of mom guilt for me. I want my kids to eat well, but I don’t have a ton of time (or energy) to prepare meals. The easier the meal is, the better.
I asked myself why is that a bad thing? It’s really not at all. Marie Callender’s knows that dinnertime is a big source of mom guilt and are standing with us moms in their #EndMomGuilt campaign. They want to get people talking about the concept of “mom guilt” and how it’s something we all feel and that there is no shame in that. They also want to remind moms to stop being so hard on themselves.
Check out their latest video in the #EndMomGuilt campaign.
If you like simple dinner ideas, try Marie Callender’s frozen entrees. My family loves their Three Meat Lasagna! It’s a twist on the classic lasagna with beef, sausage and pepperoni layered between tender pasta noodles and loaded with four Italian-style cheeses. It’s so yummy!
I like it because it’s quick and simple to make with literally no prep work. You can prepare it in the oven or microwave. If you use the latter, dinner is ready in just 15 minutes! Enjoy the mouthwatering taste of homemade lasagna in just a fraction of the time. My family doesn’t know that I didn’t spend the entire day making it. It would probably take me hours to prepare a similar lasagna from scratch and I’m just not going there on a busy weekday.
Marie Callender’s has six yummy savoury frozen entrees for your family to enjoy including:
- Three Meat Lasagna (highly recommended!)
- Chicken Lasagna
- Creamy Chicken Alfredo
- Scalloped Potatoes in Creamy Cheese Sauce with Ham
- Creamy White Mac
- Hearty Three-Meat Marinara
I bought a few of them on a recent shopping trip to serve during the week when I’m strapped for time. My family is fed and happy and I’m not stressed out trying to prepare dinner for everyone. It’s a win-win.
Let’s work on making simpler choices in the kitchen (and in life, in general!). Do what works for you and your family. Know that you can take off some of the dinnertime stress by preparing a high quality, delicious meal with Marie Callender’s meal entrees and feel good about serving them to your family.
Marie Callender’s frozen entrees are now available at grocery stores across the country. I hope you’ll try them out. Visit Marie Callender’s website for more info.
Join the #EndMomGuilt conversation online via the Marie Callender’s Facebook page or YouTube channel. Watch the first video in the #EndMomGuilt campaign below.
Do you ever feel mom guilt about mealtime in your home? How do you overcome it?
Disclosure: I was compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.
This is a good subject to talk about.
#EndMomGuilt We all have guilty feelings but I think as long as we keep trying to do our best that’s all we can do.
Oh my goodness. I struggle with this every single day. I’m ALSO the mom who skips ahead on the bedtime story to get to the end faster and hopes that my little one won’t notice….. and then I feel so bad afterwards. lets work together to share and #ENDMOMGUILT!!!!!
My kids are adults now but I struggled with this every single day and even yet today i sometimes do.
I think we all feel guilty about things when raising children! We are not perfect and try our best. My children are both adult now and they are just fine.
There are only 24 hours in a day. And you need sleep to function. Go easy on yourself.
I think all us moms feel guilty at some point. Those Marie Callender’s three meat lasagna are awesome, in fact I cooked one tonight for supper, they’re perfect for me and my husband!
It does happen that we all feel guilty for the smallest of things that may happen. Its not the end of the world. Most people forget. The lasagna is delish.
I wish my kids would feel kid guilt when I actually make them a delicious meal and they complain about it. They prefer to have simple things (pasta and chicken nuggets). They love lasagna and could eat it all the time.
Those are great pictures and the lasagne looks amazing. Thanks for sharing!
I am not a mom and still have trouble finding the time to fit in everything that needs to be done so put the guilt aside and give yourself some grace. 🙂
It’s such a common theme with Mom’s and I often felt guilt too.
Mom guilt is so common, I think we all feel it. We just need to know that we are always doing our very best as moms.
I think mom guilt affects just about every mother out there. There are days that my son can get me to do so many things that on other days days I’m Jay’s I’m stressed I’m strong I know how guilt works and I know I should not get into it. This is a great reminder wonderful post.
Thank you so much for sharing a topic that cuts across all cultures and right to the heart of every mom! Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am doing my best and that just had to be good enough. And reading your post nKes me feel just a little less alone in my guilt and for that I truly thank you!
I literally struggle with mom guilt on a daily basis and feel less alone after reading your post and all the other comments! And I am definitely going to be checking out these Marie meals! They look DELISH!
I’ve been there many times. My schedule is so busy that I don’t always have time to prepare a full meal from scratch. I have had the 3 meat lasagna before. It is really good.
As a fellow mom, once haggard with 4 in diapers at once incl triplets, I could not agree more that mom guilt touches us all. But that meal looks practically homemade, so that’s one moment when you should not feel guilty when you serve delicious food like that.
Oh yes, I think all the moms know all about mom guilt. If I can find foods to save me some time, I am going to try them! No shame in that!
I know all about Mom guilt – it is a brutal thing. I love these types of meals, yum! Thanks for sharing.
Mom guilt is common these days and the sad thing is that we don’t even notice. Having meals that are easy makes life so much easier!
You can only do the best you can with the time you’ve got. When you can serve up great Marie Callender’s meals and have the extra time they save, let the guilt be gone!
Oh, girl. I’m sure our novels about mom guilt would be equally as long. It’s crazy. Can’t do it all, but we can do a lot with help from yummy meals like these.
Will have to try the Marie Callender’s frozen entrees. Mom guilt is such a real things, but Mom’s can only do so much. Easy meals help on those days when it is crazy!
My family loves Marie Callender’s meals. They are great for those days you are in a hurry. I wish I had more time to cook from scratch.
I will have to look for Marie Callender’s meals when I go grocery shopping this week. They look delicious and are easy to make.
So many Mom’s feel guilt. I am always looking for good meals to serve to my family. Marie Callender’s is delicious.
I picked up a few Marie Callender’s meals this week. We are having one for dinner tomorrow night. It is a great way to have a good meal in a hurry.
I think every mother suffers from Mom guilt from time to time. Just a fact of life!
I have yet to try this brand but I’ve seen it in-store! We’ll have to check it out soon!
I love this post because I often struggle with it! My kids ask me to play all the time but my time is just stretched so thinly.
These look like good meals.
I can understand mom guilt… It’s difficult to balance everything and still do everything we promised ourselves internally for our kids. I like Marie Callender’s products and have used them as a meal, my only concern is the calorie count per serving. It’s great for a treat and a quick meal once in a while.
I usually make all the meals.but I am retired now. Sometimes I use Marie Callender because her meals taste so good.
I definitely think that we all have mom guilt every now and again. I know that I can not be perfect all the time but there are ways to make my life easier.
I used to feel mom guilt when my kids were very young and I had to work for a living to help feed and clothe them. My two sisters never had to do this, they got to stay at home, and I always felt like I was missing out. I am lucky enough that my work place is right next to the schools and I was always, ALWAYS, allowed to clock out and see the kids in plays or go to interviews etc. NOW that I am older I know that I’ve set great example for my kids, as, in reality, most people are not the Hiltons, and most children will have to grow up, move away from home to go to school and get jobs in the real world. BOTH my children are independent enough to have both moved out to go away to school (we live close to the city , but my daughters schooling was 2.5 hrs away) Both kids learned how to defend for themselves by learning how to cook and do laundry etc (or even by driving to the city and back and learning the areas there) i’m proud of them both, and no longer regret turning them into responsible adults.
Mom guilt is quite common, we all want the best things for our kids but sometimes it doesn’t come up to our expectation. I can feel you since you’re not the only one. Btw, thanks for the great suggestion, I would try it.
This topic cuts across all human cultures. I’ve heard Guiltier the Second Time Around is one of the best cure for mom guilt. It’s a trustworthy cure information because
I read a news written by a professor.
I feel mom guilt when I clean instead of playing with my daughter. It is too easy to put a movie on so I can clean. I lower guilt by picking one day a week to clean and doing the minimal other days. This gives me some days where I play with my daughter a little bit.
You can only do so much in a day. Pick your battles so you can be there more for your child. I used to let the laundry wait an extra day so I had time to watch a movie or play a game with my daughter.