It seems safe to say we all have at least two versions of ourselves we openly carry around: the version that everyone in your life now knows, and the version (or versions) of you that existed before. The one in love with her high school boyfriend; the one who dreamed of a life that felt easy; the one who couldn’t wait to “grow up” and have the kids and the career and the happy family.
Well, this week’s confessions are about the other version of you.
The one you keep tucked away, unsure if you’re ready for the world to know her yet. Sometimes it’s a secret in the scandalous sense, sure. You rekindled with that high school boyfriend you fell so hard for, and he’s making you feel like that old version of you could still exist. The hitch? You’re both married. Or maybe you’ve mentally checked out of your marriage but haven’t said a word because you’re not prepared for that to be a real thing with consequences.
Some of this week’s confessions, though, represent the version of ourselves we keep quiet because we feel like we have to. The one who hates her toxic coworkers but worries about losing the financial security of the job if she walks away. Or the one who is frustrated with her mother-in-law’s family politics but doesn’t want to upset her partner by speaking up.
And part of what makes all of it so heavy is that fact that you’re carrying it all (every version of yourself and the responsibility and guilt and joy and fear they hold) alone. At least that’s the way it feels sometimes. But that’s exactly why this space exists. Just to give you somewhere to say it “out loud.” To share it with someone, even if that someone is a faceless community of other moms just like you on the internet.
So, here’s this week’s haul of moms’ innermost thoughts and feelings, confessed anonymously.
Scary Mommy Confessions are a tried-and-true part of what makes our site so fun. If you want to anonymously confess, look for our weekly callouts on Instagram. And to browse past Confessions, take a look here.
