A tired mother resting in bed between her two sleeping children

Motherhood & Real LifeOct 27, 2026 · 4 min read

Motherhood Is Beautiful.
Anyway, I Got Kicked in the Face.

If my kids aren’t keeping me humble, they’re keeping me awake.

And the other night? Baby, I almost lost my shit.

I’m talking on the verge of tears. Not because anything particularly devastating happened, but because I was exhausted, overstimulated, and getting repeatedly kicked in the damn face by someone I literally gave birth to.

Let me explain.

Both kids were in our bed. Why? I couldn’t tell you. Somewhere along the way, my husband and I apparently lost ownership of our own mattress.

And speaking of my husband, where was he, you ask?

Playing video games.

Yes. While I was upstairs fighting for my life, this man was somewhere enjoying his recreational activities.

Must be nice.

Meanwhile, I had two tiny terrorists occupying my bed, and neither one seemed particularly concerned about the fact that their mother had to be a functioning member of society in a few hours.

Eventually, the oldest terrorist fell asleep.

One down. One to go.

Except the baby? The baby had other plans.

This child continued kicking, tossing, turning, and generally making sure I understood that sleep was a privilege I had not earned.

Every time I thought she was finally settling down, here came another foot.

To my face.

MY FACE.

Girl, what did I do to deserve this?

By 4 a.m., I had reached my limit. I was no longer interested in being patient, understanding, or whatever version of gentle parenting is supposed to exist when you’ve been awake all damn night.

I needed backup.

So I informed my husband that he needed to intervene immediately, before I became somebody neither of us wanted to meet.

And he did.

Thank you, baby. Truly.

Except here’s the thing.

THE BABY STILL DIDN’T GO TO SLEEP UNTIL 5 A.M.

Five.

In.

The.

Morning.

At that point, I wasn’t even angry anymore. I was just defeated. There is a very specific kind of exhaustion that comes from desperately wanting to sleep while the person preventing you from sleeping has absolutely nowhere to be.

And you know what makes this story even more disrespectful?

I HAD TO WAKE HER ASS UP AT 7 A.M.

That’s right.

After keeping me awake until five in the morning, this same child had to get up two hours later because Mommy had to go to work and she had to go to school.

And I can almost guarantee you she wasn’t nearly as tired as I was.

Meanwhile, I was running on two hours of sleep, resentment, and whatever was left of my frontal lobe.

The audacity.

The absolute, breathtaking audacity.

And listen, I love my children. I really do. I would do anything for them.

But sometimes I look at these little people and genuinely wonder if they have some personal vendetta against me.

Because why else would you repeatedly kick someone in the face when they’re simply trying to close their eyes?

What is the reason?

What is the MOTIVE?

And can we discuss why husbands somehow manage to find time for recreational activities while mothers are participating in an overnight survival challenge nobody signed up for?

Because I’m still trying to understand the logistics.

Anyway, we all survived.

The kids went about their day like nothing happened. My husband lived to play another video game. And I went to work pretending to be a normal, well-rested adult.

But gosh, what the fuck is motherhood sometimes?

I love being a mom.

I’d also really love to sleep without getting assaulted by a foot.

Apparently, both are too much to ask.