Watering the Roots
Every strong tree begins with deep roots.
In our community, moms and matriarchs are those roots. We are the ones stretching ourselves to hold everything steady while life keeps pulling us in a dozen directions at once.
Most afternoons at my house, it feels like the clock is playing some kind of cruel joke. Take Mondays between 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. - I turn into a full-time chauffeur. One kid needs to be picked up from school and dropped off and picked up from ballet. Another needs an early dinner, a quiet spot to get homework started, then a ride to his lesson before heading straight into marching band rehearsal. And then there’s the youngest, who’s just along for the ride - too young to stay home alone, needing food, entertainment, and my sanity all at once.
And of course, the gear list is endless: leotard, ballet shoes, drumsticks, sheet music, marching shoes. Plus snacks - because if I forget those, there will be tears. (And ideally no snacks with red dye in them - but let's be real, we just can’t do it all...)
Some days it feels like I’m running a taxi service with the most demanding passengers you can imagine. Other days, when my husband can tag team with me, the load feels a little lighter. But plenty of days, it’s just me behind the wheel, piecing it together in real time because there isn’t another option.
And here’s the thing: I know I’m not alone.
Every mom I talk to has her own version of this story. The details change - maybe it’s soccer cleats instead of ballet shoes, maybe it’s math tutoring instead of marching band - but the feeling is the same. The mental juggling act. The exhaustion. The constant wondering: am I enough?
This is why we need each other.
Because when moms and women come together, something shifts. We laugh at the chaos instead of crying alone in it. We trade snacks, share rides, or at the very least, remind one another that we aren’t crazy for feeling stretched so thin.
That’s what I mean by watering the roots. Not just taking care of ourselves, but taking care of each other - so the whole tree grows stronger. When we do that, our kids feel it. Our families feel it. Our whole community feels it.
And maybe the first step in building a thriving community isn’t loud or complicated. Maybe it starts small, in carpools and text threads and moments of laughter in the middle of the juggle. Maybe it’s simple. Maybe it’s deeply powerful.
Moms watering the roots - together.
