I am blessed to have a really great mom, the best in the world in my opinion. No one really knows me better, or understands me like she does. Growing up she was a stay at home mom who helped dad run a few different businesses as well as homeschooled us three kids at the same time. She thrived on being busy helping people and being there for her family, and I always knew I could count on her, no matter what.
Having such a good example of a mom made me want to be one too. What job could be better than being superwoman like mom? So ever since I was a little girl all I wanted was to be a mom, not realizing of course, how difficult it actually is. My mom made it look easy. She always had the answers and the right thing to say. She helped me through so many tough, scary things.
It’s not that I never saw my mom cry or break down or lose her cool. It’s just that when she did, she explained it, or said sorry if she made a mistake. I knew she wasn’t perfect, but it only made me love her more for being able to teach us kids how to be honest and express our thoughts and feelings. She taught by example.
Now that I’m a mom too, I realize how tough it really is. The days are long and the nights are short. The diapers just keep coming and it’s the same duties every day. Little people are depending on you for everything, and you can’t just clock out or take a vacation.
If you are a stay-at-home mom then you can end up feeling a bit weary of caring for others all day without a break for yourself. There might be moments you wonder why you chose to not go back to work or to get a job if you didn’t have one before. You might feel that it’s a thankless job where you get no appreciation from the little ones you spend so much time and energy caring for.
But then you get a little snuggle or a smile..you kiss a boo boo better or you rock your baby to sleep..and suddenly it’s just all worth the effort. You are your kid’s supermom. You are the best mom for them, and someday (maybe once they have kids of their own!) they will look back and realize all the work you actually did for them, and they will be so thankful.
The time we spend caring for our family is never wasted. It’s the most important job in the world because you are imputing into a little life values and morals. You are helping them to be the person they were created to be and teaching them to reach their potential in life. Everything you do as a mom has such an influence even on generations down the road.
Sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged or feel like you’re failing, especially if you are a first time mom like me and situations come up where you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing. Or you have crazy expectations of what you should be doing and just don’t have the time or energy to do.
Remember that it doesn’t mean you’re failing if you get frustrated or stressed or just have a really bad day. We need to be real with ourselves about our own limitations. Our kids don’t need us to be perfect, they need us to be real.
So next time you’re feeling down about your mothering or feel like no one notices all you do, remember that those little eyes are always watching, and those little ears are always listening. You have the chance to teach your kids how to deal with their emotions and how to react to what life throws at them. You have the chance to make a difference, to influence a life. And that in itself is an amazing thing. Sometimes you just have to take one day at a time, enjoy the good moments, learn from the bad, plant the seeds, cultivate, water and watch them grow into something beautiful.
