When did they get so big?

Back to school is supposed to be exciting. New teachers. New friends. New experiences. A fresh start.

So why can it also make a mom want to cry?

This week, after Meet the Teacher nights, back to school bashes and preparing three kids to enter fourth, fifth and sixth grades, Nikki found herself confronting one of the hardest parts of motherhood:

You spend years helping your children become independent, and then one day...they actually start needing you less.

In this episode of Struggle & Strength: Moms Balancing It All with Nikki, we're talking about the bittersweet emotions of watching your kids grow up, back to school mom emotions, letting go, mom guilt and learning to appreciate the season of motherhood you're in before it becomes another memory.

Because motherhood is filled with firsts we celebrate.

First steps.

First words.

First days of school.

But it's also filled with something much harder:

Lasts we don't realize are lasts when they're happening.

The last time they ask to be picked up.

The last time they crawl into your bed after a bad dream.

The last time they need help tying their shoes.

The last time they reach for your hand walking into school.

Firsts announce themselves. But lasts are quiet.

Nikki also talks about the pressure moms put on themselves to create the perfect childhood, especially during summer. Did we make enough memories? Did we spend enough time together? Did we do enough?

Maybe childhood isn't measured by how much we squeeze into every summer.

Maybe the ordinary moments are the ones our kids will remember most.

And maybe watching our children grow up isn't about losing them at all. It's about learning how to become the mom they need in each new stage.

If you're looking at your kids this back to school season wondering where the time went, this episode is for you.

❤️ Be excited for who they're becoming.

❤️ Miss who they used to be.

❤️ And remember that both feelings can exist at the same time.

Because maybe we don't actually want our kids to stay little forever.

Maybe we just want more time.

The Promise of Struggle & Strength:

Helping high-achieving moms reconnect with themselves so they can build a life that aligns with their values instead of just surviving their responsibilities.

📲 Connect with Nikki: Instagram: @nikkiwallace247

Facebook: @ConnectWithNikkiW

Have you ever watched your child compete and somehow felt like YOU were the one competing?

After watching my daughter struggle during her 3 meter competition at USA Diving Nationals, I found myself genuinely upset.

And then I had to ask myself a hard question:

Why am I taking this so personally when it wasn't my competition?

If you're a sports mom, you may already know the answer.

We don't just watch our kids compete. We live the journey alongside them.

We rearrange schedules. Drive to practices. Pay the fees. Book the hotels. Pack the bags. Encourage them after hard practices. Celebrate the breakthroughs. Calm the nerves. Sacrifice weekends. And quietly carry so much of the work that makes their opportunities possible.

So when they win, we feel it.

And when they lose, sometimes we feel that too.

In Episode 85 of Struggle & Strength: Moms Balancing It All with Nikki, we're talking about the emotional side of youth sports and what happens when supporting our children's dreams slowly turns into becoming emotionally attached to their results.

I share what happened at USA Diving Nationals, why my daughter's disappointing competition affected me so deeply and the realization that completely changed how I looked at everything our family had invested into her sport.

Because maybe we've been measuring the return all wrong.

Maybe the return on everything we pour into our kids isn't the medal. Maybe it's the person they're becoming while chasing it.

In this episode, we talk about sports parenting, motherhood, disappointment, resilience, parental expectations, the invisible work behind competitive youth sports and learning to let our children's journey truly belong to them.

You'll also hear why disappointment isn't something we always need to fix for our kids and why learning how to lose, recover and keep going may be one of the most valuable lessons sports can teach them.

If you've ever sat on the sidelines, in the bleachers or beside the pool with your stomach in knots while your child competed, this episode is for you.

The Promise of Struggle & Strength:

Helping high-achieving moms reconnect with themselves so they can build a life that aligns with their values instead of just surviving their responsibilities.

📲 Connect with Nikki: Instagram: @nikkiwallace247

Facebook: @ConnectWithNikkiW

What if the greatest gift you could give your family isn't doing more... but taking better care of yourself?

This week, a conversation at a community event stopped Nikki in her tracks.

A mom walked up after seeing the health products on her table and said something that so many women quietly believe:

"Now that my kids are grown, it's finally time for me to start taking care of myself."

Those words sparked an important question:

Why do so many moms believe they have to wait until everyone else is taken care of before they deserve to take care of themselves?

In this heartfelt episode of Struggle & Strength: Moms Balancing It All with Nikki, Nikki shares her own health journey and why becoming healthier wasn't about losing weight or looking a certain way. It was about becoming a stronger, healthier, more present wife, mom, and leader.

If you've been putting yourself at the bottom of the priority list, this episode is a reminder that taking care of yourself isn't selfish. It's one of the greatest investments you can make in your family.

❤️ Why so many moms wait to prioritize their own health

❤️ How small daily habits create lifelong change

❤️ Why self-care is about stewardship, not selfishness

❤️ How your children learn healthy habits by watching you

❤️ Why taking care of yourself allows you to show up better for the people you love

❤️ Practical ways to begin putting your health first today

One of the biggest lessons from this episode is this:

Your family doesn't need a mom who sacrifices herself into exhaustion. They need a mom who's healthy enough to keep making memories with them.

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another mom who has been waiting for "someday" to take care of herself.