I loved our guest bloggers’ post about guilt being like our pelvic floor… deep, dark and hidden until after we have kids. And it made me think about my own guilt …

My guiltiest mom moments

Mother guilt is like a TV ad: It interrupts my regularly scheduled programming at defined intervals in an annoying and invasive way.

And like a TV ad, the volume of the guilty ads is much LOUDER than my regular programming.

These guilty ads appear like clockwork at these times:

When my kids are sick. Or even malingering. Take today. One of my sons grumbled this morning about feeling a little sick and my plans flew out the window. I can’t cope with the idea of sending him to school when he’s feeling bad. #FAIL. Of course, 10 minutes later he looks okay and is definitely resisting efforts to stay in bed. Now he’s watching television and I am writing. TV!!!!????? #FAIL

And now a word from our detractors…

When my kids do something wrong.Take the watch that makes me sick. A blue and orange Gap watch came home mysteriously in a school bag three weeks ago. It was “given” to one of my sons, who could not remember the name of the child who generously parted with this expensive gift. After some discussion, a polite word for what really happened, the watch disappeared, only to be found buried under a pile of winter hats. Did my son steal the watch? Is he heading for a life of crime? Have I been stern enough about the watch? What happened to the kid who lost the watch? Is he in trouble with his parents? (I know, I know, I should’ve been tougher when my son nicked candy at CVS when he was three and escaped without apprehension until it was too late, and we were miles away, for us to force him to return it.)

Nobody’s missing the watch. There it sits, on our sideboard, a big orange guilty reminder of my failure to teach my children about valuing other people’s possessions. #FAIL.

The watch joins other things in my life that make me feel guilty. The clothes that were always too small, the expensive CD and book of educational poetry for the kids that they’ve refused to listen to once, the interesting foods that we’ve never eaten, the garage full of junk…and the endless piles of worthy books (Toni Morrison’s Jazz, for example) that should’ve been read but were neglected for yet another murder mystery (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Fun!!) or another episode of Project Runway. #FAIL

During school vacations. This is the worst for me. Read my post about how I feel bad working during the summer and “forcing” my children to go to camps.

Gap watch of Mom guilt

When I have to go away for work. I feel bad that my spouse has to cope alone. I do note that he presumes I’m capable enough to cope when he has to work from 6 a.m until midnight for weeks in a row, not seeing any of us. Maybe I should do the same… #FAIL.

When I do the occasional, very indulgent thing, like getting a haircut when I should be doing educational or worthy activities with my children. #FAIL.

If only I could TiVo my life to skip the guilty ads we’d all be so much happier.

In the meantime, let’s say no to unnecessary and unwarranted guilt!!!!

Start by singing our MomstoWork NO to Guilt song .. It is silly but we loved making it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52S-UudcVnE

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