Being a mom is hard, man. Like really hard. Hard like hearing your boy snap back that he’s so mad at you. Hard like figuring out Algebra when you just can’t remember Algebra. Then there are those bite marks from baby teeth, those stubbed toes from baby gates. The tears when they don’t want you to leave; those tears when they beg you to — just. leave. them. alone.
And our Mom hearts are so full and so heavy, all at once.
We ask what will tomorrow hold, not to mention the eight hours left before the night ends. We listen so close.
We listen to breathing with a newborn sleeping nearby. We listen to words form on little lips and even wonder where they picked them up sometimes. We listen to ourselves when we get too loud, and we raise our voice. We listen to a dishwasher and a clothes dryer, and we know that we’re grateful for such noise.
Because it’s the soundtrack of a mom’s life.
And no matter whether at the very start or the third time around, it’s important not to miss a beat.
That doesn’t mean perfection. No way. No how. But it does mean to be present, when it matters. And I’m learning with my littles, it sure matters a lot.
So, how can we be present, when there’s an actual laundry list of stuff to do? I certainly am no expert here, but I’m trying to challenge myself to improve.
REDUCE screen time (FOR MOMMY). So this one is much tougher than I thought it would be. We’re a generation of moms who have phones literally attached at the hip. We use them for news updates, weather alerts, directions to go play. We post on Facebook and Instagram and record videos of our days. So how can we break a habit that seems so helpful in so many ways? ————-> put your phone up on the fridge. Or in a cabinet or on the mantel, up somewhere out of sight. Designate times for yourself to check messages and be online, and (I’m preaching to myself here) don’t chronicle every single moment on video to rewatch. Of course, save a lot of it. But savor it, too.
SLOW down. I’ve got three loads of clean laundry in a pile on my bed. Potty training in my house means a bunch of messy britches, so I wash. And wash. And wash. But, I haven’t folded them yet. I will, of course, before my husband and I get to bed, but I no longer set a timer for me to have all housework immediately checked off. Rather than spending all my time at home cleaning, I choose to slow down and BE with my little guys instead. I ask them questions, I join in games, I make up lessons and stories to teach. Those are the things I won’t get to do once these boys of mine become men. The chores can wait.
MOM up. I heard this phrase on a podcast recently, and I had to back up the episode to listen again. “Be strong. Mom up.” And just as we’d say “man up” to acknowledge a need for strength and respect, the same gesture applies to us mommies who need a boost of confidence — a reminder we’ve been given what it takes to do the job before us and do it well. We must cheer up ourselves and our loved ones. We must stand up for what’s right in a world of wrongs. We must Mom up with assurance that we are a critical influence in our homes and in the communities we live. We must ask for wisdom to mother with gentle hearts and firm convictions. God has delivered our children to us by divine appointment; we can trust that He did so on purpose. We must embrace this calling, this commitment, this challenge to mother as we are being edified and used up. So, let’s get it, girls.
My sons are preschool age and younger, and I know this mothering job is not getting any easier. But, I am praying that I will get better at it. Better at taming the wild. Better at listening and obeying and realizing that sometimes the hard is all we need to realize how good we have it. And we really do have it – oh so very good. Pardoned and redeemed. Think on these things.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think on these things.” Philippians 4:8
Love,
Mommy
Friends, it’s been months since i’ve posted, and I’m so glad to reconnect. I’ve had a season of exhaustion, so I chose rest. However, a dear friend recently reminded me that our stories should be shared instead of silenced — that God’s Word is too good for our voices not to speak up. So, as part of my Mommin’ Up, I am starting up my conversation again in hopes of encouraging all of our hearts. Grateful to be on this journey together. My love and appreciation for you all. Keep on. “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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