For the mom who has a teenager who is sullen and withdrawn, who misses the toddler who was so quick to crawl up into her lap...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom whose husband works long hours and finds herself as the cook and the maid and the peacemaker and the toothbrusher and the bedtime story reader...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who is not thin enough, smart enough, religious enough, pretty enough, funny enough...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who looks back at her previous life, the one before kids and finds the person she is now is nothing like the person she used to be...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who is watching her children go to kindergarten. Or junior high. Or off to senior pictures. Who cannot believe how long the days are but how short the years are...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who feels like motherhood has squeezed out every ounce of energy from her body, who runs on coffee and chocolate, who would exercise but can't find the time, who feels like she is neglecting her spiritual side, who wishes she could fit more into the 24 hours she is given each day...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who feels alone, who is surrounded by people, but always alone...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who feels alone, who is surrounded by people, but always alone...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who really is alone, who is limited by her own physical or mental health issues, who is raising a child who has unique needs that make friendship with others hard, who lives in an isolated area where there just aren't many women her age..this is hard and in spite of those limits, you're a good mom.
For the mom who is battling dark feelings, anxious thoughts, and depression, who wonders when she will finally be able to get out of the pit...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who seems to have it all-the perfect husband, the beautiful house, the well mannered kids-who everyone always seems to view as a bit too perfect, too beautiful, too well mannered...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who goes to work every day and wishes she could stay home..this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who stays home every day and wishes she could go to work...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom who goes to work but doesn't feel guilty but then feels guilty because she doesn't feel guilty...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom whose child is a prodigal, who has rejected her values, her rules, her love...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For the mom whose child is broken, who is consumed by addiction or mental illness...this is hard and you're a good mom.
For every mom, no matter how others might view your circumstances, this is hard and you're a good mom.
Perhaps it is part of the curse, that as a result of Eve's sin, the curse of pain in childbirth stretches far past the actual birthing moments. Or perhaps it is more about the broader consequences of living in a fallen world. I think every woman is vaguely aware of how motherhood is hard. But until you are a mom who is living it day in and day out, I don't think you fully understand just how hard it is. Of course, there are moments of joy. But when moms are really honest with themselves, there are a lot of really hard moments. It doesn't matter where you live, how much money you make, how many kids you have, or even how much you love Jesus. The plain simple truth is that being a mom is hard. Hearing someone else acknowledge how hard those moments are is affirming. Not because moms need to be weighed down with negative thinking. But because moms need to know that these struggles are a part of a shared human experience, that it's not just unique to them, and that when they face these challenges every day, that sometimes just surviving in that moment is considered success.
It's so easy for motherhood to feel like a never ending game of Candyland. It's playing with ever changing rules, where drawing a purple card doesn't mean move to purple, but instead means move to yellow, but when the next purple card is drawn, it actually means move to green. It's a constant challenge to keep the game board orderly and then as you get the cards neatly stacked, a strong wind from the ceiling fan blows them off onto the floor. It's being one square away from the candy castle and somehow drawing the silly plum card, forcing you way back to the beginning of the game, while the end point seems to only get farther and farther away. It's watching others joyfully playing, watching others celebrating their win, while you sit mired on a black dot, waiting for someone else to draw a card that will free you from that square. A lot of times, it just feels defeating, like you are losing and doing a terrible job even at that. If that's where you are today, let me offer up one more affirmation: you are a good mom. You are not perfect. You are not the same as the mom down the street, as your mom, as your best friend, or as the mom in the magazine. You are a real mom, a mom who is doing the best she can in the moment with what she has. Sometimes, it is not about making the right choice or having all the answers. Sometimes, good means simply that you love your kids and that your love for your kids will cover a multitudes of wrongs. You're a good mom.
Perhaps it is part of the curse, that as a result of Eve's sin, the curse of pain in childbirth stretches far past the actual birthing moments. Or perhaps it is more about the broader consequences of living in a fallen world. I think every woman is vaguely aware of how motherhood is hard. But until you are a mom who is living it day in and day out, I don't think you fully understand just how hard it is. Of course, there are moments of joy. But when moms are really honest with themselves, there are a lot of really hard moments. It doesn't matter where you live, how much money you make, how many kids you have, or even how much you love Jesus. The plain simple truth is that being a mom is hard. Hearing someone else acknowledge how hard those moments are is affirming. Not because moms need to be weighed down with negative thinking. But because moms need to know that these struggles are a part of a shared human experience, that it's not just unique to them, and that when they face these challenges every day, that sometimes just surviving in that moment is considered success.
It's so easy for motherhood to feel like a never ending game of Candyland. It's playing with ever changing rules, where drawing a purple card doesn't mean move to purple, but instead means move to yellow, but when the next purple card is drawn, it actually means move to green. It's a constant challenge to keep the game board orderly and then as you get the cards neatly stacked, a strong wind from the ceiling fan blows them off onto the floor. It's being one square away from the candy castle and somehow drawing the silly plum card, forcing you way back to the beginning of the game, while the end point seems to only get farther and farther away. It's watching others joyfully playing, watching others celebrating their win, while you sit mired on a black dot, waiting for someone else to draw a card that will free you from that square. A lot of times, it just feels defeating, like you are losing and doing a terrible job even at that. If that's where you are today, let me offer up one more affirmation: you are a good mom. You are not perfect. You are not the same as the mom down the street, as your mom, as your best friend, or as the mom in the magazine. You are a real mom, a mom who is doing the best she can in the moment with what she has. Sometimes, it is not about making the right choice or having all the answers. Sometimes, good means simply that you love your kids and that your love for your kids will cover a multitudes of wrongs. You're a good mom.
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