Loving your choice



A few years ago for Mother's Day, the 16-18 year old boys were invited in to Relief Society (the women's meeting at church) to talk about their moms.  They each told us something that they loved about their moms.  Many of their responses, predictably, centered around food.  Some were grateful for all the rides to sports practices, some for a listening ear.  But one young man, Jesse, gave a response that really struck me.  So much so that it has stayed with me all of these years.

Jesse said, and I paraphrase, "I love that my mom always seemed so happy to be our mom.  I never felt like there was anything in the world that she would rather be doing than staying home with us."

Wow!  What a beautiful gift that mom gave to her children!  I chose to be a stay-at-home mom too.  I intentionally decided that was the most meaningful and important work I could do.  But I wonder if my kids feel how much I love it?  Can they tell by my attitude and my actions that there is nothing else in the world I would rather be doing than being their mom?

I have actually said to a friend (and only half in jest),  "I could be such a good mom if my kids would stop getting in the way!"  When I notice myself  feeling that way, I know it's time for me to take a step back and re-evaluate.

Sometimes as moms we get so stressed out or overwhelmed that we forget to enjoy our job.  We put everyone else's needs before our own, thinking that we are serving them by sacrificing for them.  If we're not careful though, that type of sacrifice can start to feel a lot like resentment.  The people we are trying to love and serve start to feel more like a nuisance or a burden.  Our children will surely pick up on that feeling, no matter how much we try to pretend it isn't so.

I'm sure Jesse's mom had her share of frustration.  I'm sure there were days when being a mother felt like a heavy burden. But over all, she was able to take care of her own emotional health well enough that motherhood was a joy to her, and her children knew it.

One of the best gifts we can give to our children is the gift of our own happiness.  If mom is healthy and happy and thriving, she has so much more to offer her family.  It's a win-win!

Let's make the time to take care of ourselves, mamas, so our children have the blessing of being raised by a happy mom.



Christi







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