Mom says 'I'm done apologizing' and encourages others to do the same in viral post
It's the common conundrum of modern motherhood: You're doing too much but you're never enough.
One mom, however, is "done apologizing."
Jennifer Thompson is the owner of the blog They Whine so I Wine.
In a recent Facebook post that's been shared 17,000 times, she wrote about her travails.
"I'm too much for some people. Too loud; too outspoken. I talk too much," she wrote. "I voice my opinions far too often and forget the filter. To others, I am too quiet. Shy. Off putting, maybe even stuck up.
"To some I'm just a mom. A mom who could stand to lose a few pounds. Someone who needs to get it together. I'm disheveled - a hot mess. I make lists only to forget them on my kitchen counter. To others I'm too career driven, too organized; by the book. A control freak, too structured. A planner.
Do you see a trend here? I'm always going to be too much for some and not enough for others, when in reality I'm both. I'm equal parts loud and quiet. I'm career driven and a hot mess mama."
The central Illinois mom goes on to write that she's tired of wasting "so much of our time worrying about what other people's opinions of us are.
"We try so hard to bend ourselves fifty different ways to fit a mold in hopes of somehow satisfying everyone else, only to leave ourselves feeling empty," she added.
Thompson told "Good Morning America" she's not had a single negative reaction to her post in the 1,000 comments she's received so far. Women feel "empowered" by her post, she said.
"I hit a tipping point," Thompson said about what inspired the post. "As women we worry so much about how others may perceive us, we try so hard to ensure that everyone around us are happy that we end up putting ourselves last."
"This was my battle cry -- an anthem to say I'm done apologizing," she added. "I'm taking ownership of my life. Because we only get one life and it's not about pleasing everyone, it's about living. Whatever that means for you, do it."
