Many of us don’t realize how much the world wears us down. Years of putting ourselves last, giving more than we have, and carrying everyone else’s needs leave us feeling weak or broken. But it’s not weakness. It’s the cumulative stress of motherhood.

We live for our children because we love them, because they need us, and because society tells us that’s what being a good mother means.

And when we’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or the rage starts creeping in, we’re told to choose better partners, practice more self-care, or take a girls’ trip. Anything but question why motherhood has become so exhausting in the first place.