Trauma Mama's and Being Yourself

When I saw this  thought of all the trauma mama's out there who are trying to decide who they are or who they should be. 

When you are with people who understand trauma and how hard it can be, you feel free to be your normal self. They will understand your wacky sense of humor. They will know that the stories you relate aren't told in an attempt to shame or bad mouth your child but rather that you are sharing your story with the hope that someone will have an equally crazy story, thus proving you are sane.

When you meet a stranger at the grocery store and she admires your family, you smile and say what a blessing your children are, because they really are....most of the time!

If you are with casual acquaintances you relate the normal things your child does and do not so much as hint at the holes in the walls and the time your child went to church barefoot because he refused to put his shoes on....and it wasn't during the summer either!

When you meet the woman who enjoys catching up on the latest news, you greet her with a smile and when she asks how you are doing you just continue smiling and say, "I am enjoying the sunshine!" and hope she doesn't realize you didn't really answer the question.

Sometimes I constantly pray; "Lord keep your arm around my shoulder and place your hand over my mouth when I have said enough!" 

Because I quickly forget that not everyone's life is like mine and they may misunderstand my attitude and become offended. I also forget that what I meant as sarcasm or a joke might appear harsh or uncaring to other people.

I must say I do get tired of watching what I say because my life is very easily misinterpreted, simply because it is so different than most people's. However it is good for me to learn to think before I speak and what better way to learn something than to practice it daily?