Why You Need to Keep Dreaming Mama

We all have dreams. Some dream more than others. But everyone has them, or had them, at one point. Some of our dreams are more realistic than others, and some are very crazy..things that might never happen. Still others have slowly died out with time. From the time we are little our culture teaches us to “dream big”, “shoot for the stars” and “be what you want to be”. For some of us, being a mom was what we wanted to be. For others, a career was worked hard for and now put on hold for a short time, or maybe a long time, while being a mom takes first place. Either way, us mom’s have dreams that we still dream, even while we are busy with the often mundane tasks of childrearing. If you are a full-time mom who plans to stay home with the kids indefinitely, then it can be easy to put all of your other dreams aside while you live out your mommy dream. But I think it’s important to keep dreaming those dreams you have, big or small, to give you something to work towards. Or just to dream about for the sake of dreaming. Some of us crazy dreamers just need to have a dream always on the go.

For me, I knew what I wanted to BE in life. A wife and mom. But I also have things I want to DO. I want to travel in Europe and see historical places. I want to be a photographer and writer. I want to open a coffee house someday. All things that take lots of money that I don’t have. But all things that are doable if I save and work towards them. Right now living on a single income budget it seems impossible, but I know that there are things I can do to make it happen, if I work hard at it. Being a mom doesn’t leave a lot of time for other things, but I know its important that I make time. If you have dreams that require money to make accomplish, here are a few practical things you can do to start making it happen.

~start a small business from home

~sell garden produce or eggs if you are in that situation

~sell baking at a farmers market

~start a photography business

~look online for small jobs you can do from your computer-the internet is full of them

And for some of us, just the dreaming part is enough to keep us going. But don’t stop dreaming just because you think it’s impossible and will never happen now that you have kids. Dreams keep us alive and young at heart. Sometimes when I’m lying awake at night trying to fall asleep after putting a baby back to sleep, I think about my dreams and it takes me to a happy place. During the day when I’m frustrated with my girls and just tired of the mundane tasks that face me, I think about my dreams and how I’m going to make them happen someday and it keeps me going. When my children are older I want them to have dreams, and I want to model to them how to make those dreams a reality. I want to teach them that hard work pays off and that anything is possible. If my kid tells me they want to be an astronaut or a ballerina or concert pianist, I want to help them get there, teach them the tools and skills they need to reach their goals.

Why do people need dreams? Because there’s something in every heart that wants to be something amazing, or do something that makes the world better. A little hope inside that they can somehow be a significant part of the world, of causing change, or of helping others. Why else do we want to be firefighters, scientists, doctors, artists, musicians, teachers and builders? Just remember that being a mom is such an important job, shaping kids to influence their world.  So keep dreaming yourself, and show your kids how to dream big. And when they are old enough to have dreams of their own, you get to be their biggest supporter and encourager. 

What are some of your dreams for the future? Are you already living your dream?