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SALT LAKE CITY — I used to be a good mom.

You know, the type who would get my morning run done before my kids woke up, and get showered and ready for the "breakfast is served" manifesto?

I used to be a good mom.

You know, the type of mom who would dress her kids in clothes that looked like they had a mother who cared — clothes that were always public-eye ready, even if we spent the day inside our own home.

I used to be a good mom.

You know, the type who would set up play dates for my kids just for the sake of socializing them (because that's what you do when you're a good mom).

I used to have set nap times, meal times, and a schedule on the wall. I used to have clean-up time and perfect organizers with labels that kept things where they belonged. I used to know what was in my child's backpack, and sign every little paper communicator, and check off every single reading list.

I used to be a good mom.

Now, I'm a mom.

Good, bad, ugly. I am a mom.

Arianne Brown and her family pictured in 2020. (Photo: Arrianne Brown)

I exercise often, but mostly I exercise my right to "have 30 minutes to myself! Is that too much to ask, gosh-dang-it?!"

I am a mom who still serves breakfast, but if you don't come when it's warm you know where the microwave is. And if you come when it's all gone, there will be another meal roll around sometime today, I promise.

I am a mom who had a good run in the I-will-do-everything-and-be-everything time of life, and who just can't anymore.

But I'd like to think I'm still a good mom because I care so much that I don't care anymore.

I may not know what is inside my children's backpacks most of the time, but I know what they struggle with at school and what they like the most about it. I may not have dressed my toddlers in matching, let alone clean clothes, but we laid in the backyard hammock listening to the birds outside for a whole 15 minutes without a care in the world.

Nap time is not a term we use anymore, but when I see my 3-year-old asleep on the couch after spending hours playing with his siblings, I'd like to think that the dreams he is having are sweet ones. I can't keep a schedule to save my life, but I will get my child to practice if it's by the skin of my teeth, or with the help of a neighbor.

My house is as disorganized as it was once organized, but it is somewhat liberating to know that life does have a way of going on its merry way without labeled storage containers.

I used to be a good mom, but I'm proud to say that I'm still a mom.

To all the moms (and dads) who feel like me, you're not alone. We can all still be good parents in our own way — schedule on the wall or not.

Are there things that you've given up as a parent from your early days to now? Let us know in the comments.