Mother Shares Her ‘Mental Breakdown’ During Son’s Tantrum & We Can Relate

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Any parent will tell know this — when our kids are having a meltdown, more often than not we feel like we’re losing our own marbles right along with them.

And sometimes we do just that… ask me!

A mom recorded herself having her own breakdown alongside her toddler son who was throwing a tantrum of note.

In a video posted to her Facebook page, Sarah Van Sickle is sitting in her car crying while her kid throws an epic tantrum in his car seat.

“This is what a mommy mental breakdown looks like.”

“I’m so sick of people just showing the perfect side of parenthood on social media, and today was one of the worst days I’ve had as a mom,” she writes. “I’m tired. Mentally and emotionally drained. Feeling like a failure of a mom. Feeling beyond clueless as to why my child has the world’s worst tantrums for no reason. Feeling guilty for yelling at him and even more guilty for wanting to crawl into a hole and stay there.”

We’ve all been there, yes we have!

It’s impossible to keep it together and remain calm and patient when your child is upset beyond reason and you’re not in control.

Frustrated as she felt like her version of parenthood didn’t look anything like the version everyone else posts on social media, Van Sickle decided she had had enough.

“In the middle of one of the worst breakdowns I’ve ever had, I got my camera out and decided to help show everyone the side of parenting that isn’t broadcasted,” she tells Scary Mommy. “I was determined to show what the reality of parenthood can be like, even if it meant risking my social image and showing me in my mess. I just wanted other moms and dads who go through The emotional ups and downs to know that they are not alone.”

This Mom brings up a valid and discouraging point about parenting in the age of social media.

Yes, we want to share the happy moments and the posed moments and the moments which we see as highlights. But when the only glimpse into the lives of many people is through the rose-colored lenses of a very controlled social media post, it can make us all feel like we fall short in comparison — even if we’re guilty of doing the exact same thing.

The fact that this mom’s video went viral proves being raw certainly resonates.

“We are not perfect,” she writes. “Neither are our kids. We are human. We break down. We cry. We get frustrated. We lose our tempers. We need help. And at the end of the day, we are doing the best we know how.”