Motherhood is hard work, let’s just be honest about that and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. You don’t get to quit, take time off, or go on a vacation; you are on demand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Motherhood taught me so much about myself and life and I want to share some of these things with you.
One / Unconditional love
I thought I knew what love was until I started having children. The love I have towards my children I don’t think I could ever express towards anyone else. I wouldn’t think twice about the things I would do for them and what I would do to protect them so that they feel safe and loved. This love allows me to always put them before myself and others. I push myself to always be the best I can and do the best I can for them because I want them to have the best in life. That being said unconditional love is not one-sided, they show me as much love as I show them. They can feel when I’m sad, tired, and overwhelmed and they try their best to help me feel better. What can I say, but that I’m very Bless!
Two / Patience
I am not saying that I have perfect patience, but what I’m saying is that things that used to get me riled up, do not. I have learned to remain calm even when I just want to scream and pull my hair out. And believe me, children will try to use whatever tactics they can to get under your skin. What can test me is telling a child not to do something and by all means the very thing I tell them not to do, they do. How I remain cool, calm, and collected is to tell myself that they will get it eventually. Patience is a virtue and I can truly tell you that the reason I am where I am today is because of the help of God, it can be quite challenging to keep your cool.
Three /Strength
I did not know how strong I was until I had children. I knew I was strong but didn’t know how much, and I’m not talking about “Labor pain” strong I’m talking about the strength that I have to do the things that I do daily as a mother. Taking care of my children when I’m sick, staying up late at night to comfort them when they are sick, and Just doing everything I do as a mother without taking a day off. The strength that surfaces when I feel burned out and overwhelmed and feel I have nothing else to give. I know this strength is something that God physically equips mothers with because he knows the responsibility that we would have towards raising our children.
Four /To embrace the kid inside of me
I’m an easy-going, funny, laid-back, and serious person, but I make it my duty to allow myself to be in their space. I watch the movies they watch, play the games they play, and just let myself be. I get involved in what they do so that they know how much they mean to me and, their interests matter and are important. My children love being around me and it is no exaggeration, one of the reasons this is simply because they are comfortable around me as I am around them. Also, they know I get myself involved in the things they enjoy doing. I am not afraid to be silly around them, laugh at their jokes, and be one of them for that moment so they know I care. I was once a child too, and I am building a strong bond and a lifelong relationship with them.
Five / Practice what you preach
As a mother your words and actions matter. Your children learn from you by what you do and say. You may think they don’t pay attention, but they do. You have to be consistent in everything because one day they will be on their own and whatever they learn from you they carry into their lives. I try my best to let them see me live a good and godly life, but it is quite hard. I do get angry and say things I shouldn’t have, but then I have to go back and explain to them I didn’t mean what I say or did and apologize. Make sure that you live up to promises, they’re looking to you to fulfill them. I try my best not to make promises because I know they’re holding me accountable for it. If they’re expecting something that you promised and did not deliver, they’re quick to say, “You are a liar and the devil is your father” {John 8:44}, this is something they learned from what they have been taught. So make no mistake they are good at pretending not to listen.
Six /I cannot control everything they do.
We all want children to mimic our good behaviors, and to do things right the way we did, but truth be told they are their individuals and we didn’t always do things right either, nor can we control everything they do and expect them not to fail. They will not always do the right thing they will mess up, but that doesn’t mean love them any less. Disappointments are sometimes inevitable, but they have to make their own mistakes and hopefully learn from them and find themselves in the process. We are not perfect, no not one and God still loves us when we fall short as long as we are willing to get back up and keep going He will help us and that is the same attitude we must have toward our children.
Seven /Not to judge other mothers
There’s so much information out there on mother/motherhood and how it should be done, NEWSFLASH! everyone does what is right for them. What works for me may not work for someone else. We are all on the same journey called motherhood, just a different path. The more I grow, the more I realize that no mother is perfect and that society’s standard of how a mother should be is not real. We face the same problems, we just handle them differently; instead of judging, we should be encouraging. The reason God chose us to be mothers is that He knows we are capable of doing the job and we are the only ones cut out to do it.
So don’t feel discouraged when you don’t get it right, it’s OK to just let it go, it’s OK to admit you’re not perfect, and it’s OK to make mistakes because at the end of it all, what we do for our children is what that matters and what counts. God knows we are not perfect, He’s not expecting us to be perfect, what He wants us to do is to trust him in the process and then trust Him to carry us on our journey of motherhood.
Father God, thank you for choosing us mothers to walk this journey with our heads held high, and not to feel ashamed when we do not get it right. Help us to celebrate not only the highs motherhood brings but also the lows because the lows give us room for improvement. We cannot do it alone and that is why we are relying on your grace to carry us through. Thank you, Lord, for seeing the best in us even when others don’t, in Jesus’ name.
Amen!
