8 Small Victories That Any Mom Can Appreciate

I joke a lot about how exhausting it is to be a work-from-home mom. You get it: It’s hard to meet other stay-home moms, and it may or may not be because our hygiene just isn’t what it used to be.

So, instead of commiserating about how tough it is to have two toddlers, here’s a list of small moments every parent should celebrate:

1. Sleeping more than six consecutive hours. Just think, when you had a newborn, that little sucker woke up every couple hours to eat. At this point, any more you get than that is a win.

2. Waking up on your own. Late night trips to the potty, monster patrol, bad dreams, teething—there are a million reasons we get woken up by little kids. But every once in a while, we wake up while they’re still sleeping, and it’s fucking magical.

3. Drinking coffee while it’s hot. As a bonus to waking up first, you might get to drink your coffee before tiny people start demanding things and swinging off of you like rabid monkeys.

4. When your husband uses air freshener. Let’s face it, parents of little kids don’t have much time or energy for romance. Putting the toilet seat down, hanging up wet towels, and cleaning up after himself are the little ways your husband tells you he loves you.

5. Leaving on time. Parents are always in a rush, and we’re always running behind. We leave when we’re supposed to (without anyone having to poop last minute) about as often as lunar eclipses come around, so we appreciate when it does happen.

6. Getting your period. This used to be a terrible thing: cramps, mood swings, bloating, wanting to eat the entire contents of our freezer. But now it means no more babies! At least not this month. If that doesn’t call for a beer and a high five, I don’t know what does.

7. When your child finally falls asleep. Getting a child to sleep is the bane of every parent’s existence. It’s by far the most thankless and arduous of tasks. But after two glasses of water, one snack, four books read, three songs sung—and what feels like 40 hours later—your little one finally falls asleep. Then you look at them and all your frustration melts away, and you think your heart might actually explode from all the cuteness.

8. You survived another day. With any luck, your family is still intact and you get to do it all over again tomorrow. Cheers to making it!