It’s Okay If It Takes Time to Get Your Sparkle Back

Social media often paints an unrealistic picture of motherhood. We see countless posts and vlogs of moms “getting their pink back” within months of giving birth. If you’re unfamiliar, the term comes from flamingos: when a mother flamingo has a baby, she loses her vibrant pink coloring, almost fading to white. Over time, as her baby gains independence and she recovers, her pink returns.

It’s a beautiful metaphor, but it’s often simplified and rushed online. I’ve seen moms just six months postpartum sharing their progress toward reclaiming their sparkle—and while that’s wonderful for them, it’s not everyone’s reality. For me, it’s taken nearly four years since my second child to truly feel like myself again.

Motherhood changes you. The infant, baby, and toddler stages are beautiful but also exhausting and consuming. It took me years to get consistent sleep, rebuild a wellness routine, and rediscover what makes me feel whole. And that’s okay. It’s okay if it takes longer than you expected to find your rhythm again.

I wish more people talked about how sometimes it can take half a decade or more to get your sparkle back. It’s not a race. For me, I’ve had to embrace the slower pace. Pre-kids, I was highly motivated and committed to my fitness routine. For years after having kids, that felt almost impossible to maintain. Only recently have I felt that energy and focus returning—and that’s a journey worth celebrating.

So if you’re a mom feeling the pressure to “bounce back” or find your sparkle sooner than feels realistic, know this: it’s okay to take your time. It’s okay to let your priorities shift, to be patient with yourself, and to trust that your pink will return when it’s meant to. Your sparkle is still there—it’s just evolving, just like you.

Remember, your sparkle doesn’t have a deadline. Take your time, and when it comes back, it will shine brighter than ever.

xoxo,

Shelby