Redefining motherhood?
Mother. Mom. Mommy. Mama. All words I love to hear called out to me from my kids. The transition to motherhood has been amazing, albeit a difficult one. Nothing can truly prepare you for the role and weight of responsibility you feel upon having a child. While I've had my share of overwhelming moments (and I'm sure many more to come), nothing can take me away from being a mom. In fact, it's during those "small" and seemingly insignificant parts of my day that bring the most opportunities for teaching the little ones around me.
Through repeated offenses of spilled cereal & milk, I can teach patience and self-awareness. Through episodes of tantrums and screaming, I can teach self-control and gentleness. Through moments of delight at seeing birds on our fence, hearing an airplane in the sky, or waving at the garbage truck driver, I can teach thankfulness and joy in all things. If my mothering were limited to 5-6 hours per day...or every other day...I would miss so many shared memories and opportunities in their lives.
I stumbled upon this article on yahoo the other day. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It absolutely devastated me. During a 6 month research trip to Japan, this mother of 2 decided that her life wasn't what she wanted anymore. She didn't even want kids. She had neglected herself and her desires for too long. So she came back, divorced her husband, gave up full custody and pursued writing. Her kids were ages 5 and 3.
There are many reasons why my heart breaks for this woman. I believe that our role as mothers is invaluable. The Bible calls us "to love our husbands and our children, be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to our husbands...."--titus 2:4 I'm not saying this is easy. I'm not saying that I don't get overwhelmed. I'm definitely not saying that I possess all of the above character traits all the time. What I am saying is thatmotherhood is costly. It requires much of us and demands that we are 100% involved in our child's life. I am called to love my children. I can see how she might have been tempted to think running away was the best answer, but I think she's wrong. I think those boys need their mother around all the time. I think God created us as mothers to be a constant speaking voice into their lives. And, most importantly, I believe that's why we need a personal relationship with Jesus. There's no way I can do this motherhood thing on my own. I need His love to pour through me and give me strength. I need guidance. I need assurance that this world isn't the end. I need grace.
I pray that a single decision like this doesn't evoke similar responses. I fear that our culture places such a high value on one's "self" that we neglect to remember the affect our decisions have on others. Motherhood doesn't need to be redefined. It needs to be redeemed.
Through repeated offenses of spilled cereal & milk, I can teach patience and self-awareness. Through episodes of tantrums and screaming, I can teach self-control and gentleness. Through moments of delight at seeing birds on our fence, hearing an airplane in the sky, or waving at the garbage truck driver, I can teach thankfulness and joy in all things. If my mothering were limited to 5-6 hours per day...or every other day...I would miss so many shared memories and opportunities in their lives.
I stumbled upon this article on yahoo the other day. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It absolutely devastated me. During a 6 month research trip to Japan, this mother of 2 decided that her life wasn't what she wanted anymore. She didn't even want kids. She had neglected herself and her desires for too long. So she came back, divorced her husband, gave up full custody and pursued writing. Her kids were ages 5 and 3.
There are many reasons why my heart breaks for this woman. I believe that our role as mothers is invaluable. The Bible calls us "to love our husbands and our children, be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to our husbands...."--titus 2:4 I'm not saying this is easy. I'm not saying that I don't get overwhelmed. I'm definitely not saying that I possess all of the above character traits all the time. What I am saying is thatmotherhood is costly. It requires much of us and demands that we are 100% involved in our child's life. I am called to love my children. I can see how she might have been tempted to think running away was the best answer, but I think she's wrong. I think those boys need their mother around all the time. I think God created us as mothers to be a constant speaking voice into their lives. And, most importantly, I believe that's why we need a personal relationship with Jesus. There's no way I can do this motherhood thing on my own. I need His love to pour through me and give me strength. I need guidance. I need assurance that this world isn't the end. I need grace.
I pray that a single decision like this doesn't evoke similar responses. I fear that our culture places such a high value on one's "self" that we neglect to remember the affect our decisions have on others. Motherhood doesn't need to be redefined. It needs to be redeemed.
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