Blogger Mom Defends Mom’s With Messy Cars

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Before I had children of my own, a few of my friends and family members did.

Anytime I got into one of their cars, I immediately saw the evidence of “motherhood”. Breakfast bits were scattered across the backseat, juice boxes laid in piles, and you could hardly see the floor of the car. I remember judging the mess and thinking that I would never EVER let my car get that messy when I have kids.

But then I had kids of my own…

For many of us Moms, the day-to-day business of raising little ones usually leads to chaos in some form or another. And for mom blogger Nikki Pennington – she wants to assure us we aren’t alone in struggling to keep stuff organized.

Love What Matters recently shared Pennington’s heartfelt note to every “hot mess school mom” out there.

The Mom of three explained that leading a busy life with children means that sometimes you find homework assignments while cleaning out the car. Or that you sometimes you tell the teachers that you have an entire school year’s worth of soda cans in there so your kids “can learn about recycling.” And that sometimes there may be a funky odor inside, and you just won’t know why.

“I’d like to give a shout out to all my fellow hot mess school moms,” she wrote in her post. “To the moms still trying to find where that smell in the truck is coming from that started sometime after August 1st. To the moms that live inside their cars four times a day, five days a week and don’t have time to clean up that mess, they just move it over. To the moms that pull up to the drop off line with a minute to spare and hear everything in their vehicle shift as they slam on the breaks because breakfast, snacks, school projects and emergency toys … pile up fast y’all.”

She then makes a lovely request to anyone reading. She asks us to acknowledge these parents, love them, and admit that we’ve all been there at some point.

“May we promise to look the other way when we see one and not mom shame, and may we all know we are doing the best we can even when our car looks a hot mess like us,” she said.

It is Pennington’s wish to ease the embarrassment felt by other distressed parents by helping them see she’s just like them.

“I have mom friends with cars that look the same way, so I knew I wasn’t alone in this and didn’t want others to feel alone either,” she says. “I’m thankful to see that so many can relate to it.”

While many readers have supported Pennington’s words, not everyone has been as welcoming. In fact, some of the commenters were downright rude in their responses to the sight of a slightly messy car.

“Just nasty. It doesn’t take much effort to pick up your trash as you leave the car. Are you that lazy?” one mom wrote.

Another one said:

“When I used to be a detailer, I despised you people. It’s disgusting, and if you let food sit in your vehicle it’s definitely not good for your kids. Why does no one have any pride anymore in the things they own?”

The internet can be a really cruel place sometimes.

To the haters, Pennington shares that everyone has a right to their own opinion. She just wishes others would be kinder with their words.“Yes, our children might see messy cars, but they also can read unkind comments that were made online to someone else,” she says. “I’ll stick with my messy car and keep being kind online to other moms who share their hearts.”

Pennington realizes the risk she takes every day in sharing her motherhood journey online however, she always reminds herself that she isn’t posting for those who judge her.

“You are doing it for the moms in the trenches who need that compassion and need to see they aren’t alone,” she notes.

She also has a wonderful view on motherhood — to never aim for the impossible attainment of perfection.

“At the end of the day, as long as the babies are happy and I stay focused on raising good human beings, then I’m completely okay”