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You told us: These are the hardest parts about being a mom

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Thinkstock

Sunday is Mother’s Day, which means it’s time to pay tribute to the mom in your life. And while we know motherhood is extremely rewarding – we also know it comes with its own unique set of challenges.

For Mother’s Day, we wanted to recognize the it’s not always easy – so we asked our readers: What’s the hardest part about being a mom?

Here’s what they had to say:

"The worry about your kids is probably the worst part of motherhood. And each stage of a kid's life brings a whole other set of worries. From wondering if they are being bullied at school, or if they are OK in the playground, if they are getting into trouble, if they will ever get past the horribleness of adolescence, etc. But when I doubt my skills as a mother, which is often, I then look at it from another angle and think: they may not be good at everything, but they are good people. I look at my kids as adults now, and although they are not perfect, none of us are. In the words of the wisest mother I know (my mother in law): You do your best, and that's all you can do. I think I did all right.” – Rook

"When the children (4) were little, it seemed the hardest part was the endless 24/7 care that was needed - 10years zoomed by, a whirlwind of changing diapers, feeding kids and getting them to activities; getting some time for myself and getting enough rest seemed the biggest challenges. However, the overriding challenge always, always, always was figuring out whether I was doing it right - I wanted to be a perfect parent. Was I too strict or not strict enough, too much or too little a friend and champion? Rather like holding sand, I wanted to provide enough structure but not so much the sand would squeeze out through my fingers - a notion picked up in a parenting class at some point. When the kids were grown, I went back to school and learned about Donald Winnicott's concept of the good enough mother. We don't need to be perfect - just good enough. I remember the huge feeling of relief when I read that - I didn't need to be perfect, just good enough. Phew!" – El

“I'd say the hardest thing about being a mom is while being happy and proud of all of your children's  accomplishments and successes, you have to mask the part of you inside that is dying knowing that they just don't need you like they once did anymore." – TG

“The hardest thing about being a mother, for me, is constantly second guessing everything you do and thinking you are doing it wrong. Between Pinterest, Facebook and other social media sites, we are constantly bombarded with images of what is the 'right' way to mother and never feeling we are measuring up.” -- Tara Hencher

"The hardest thing is balancing all the competing demands. Demands on your time to work, run errands and spend quality time with them. Demands on resources -- do I buy clothes for myself or save for their education? Balancing their wishes and mine, such as what we watch on TV or what to we eat for dinner. Helping the school age child sort out his competing demands such as time for homework vs. play time. Balancing the children's wishes so that one is not favoured over the other, such as when I say OK my needs can't be met, but even then one of the two of them is whining because we are doing the preferred activity of the other child. So I just try to be as available for them as I can be, stay as calm as I can be and remember they they grow up so fast." – Tina

“I think the hardest thing is seeing your child in pain and not being able to relieve it. Whether it is physical pain or the pain of a broken heart.” – Beverly

“The hardest thing about being a parent is allowing your kids to learn from their mistakes.” – E.K.

How about actual childbirth? Or for those of us trying to conceive, how about getting pregnant at all?” – Taylor

“Constantly worrying about them. My daughter is 49 and I STILL worry about her” – Cheryl

“The hardest thing is to find a work/life balance, and even more important for 'mental health." find alone-time for mom. Does not happen very often.” – A Yahoo User

Read the rest of the responses here.