Confession: I Love Motherhood
(Note: Every now and then, I will post a short reflection. Something I might have thought to place in a Facebook status, but way too long for that format. So, today begins some quick thoughts about motherhood and social media.)
I have a confession to make. I love being a mother. There, I said it. In all seriousness, I do believe that in order for women to feel relatable or relevant when writing or talking about being a mom, there needs to be a bit of distancing oneself from motherhood. It’s more “authentic” to say that we can’t wait for our kids to leave for school than it is to say, “Man, I’m going to miss those little stinkers.” We do seem to be a people who make pendulum swings in extreme directions. In an effort to display “real life” and fight against the social media fakers (in our minds) who look happy all of the time, we swing towards bashing our kids. That’s more “real”.
Here’s the thing, motherhood is crazy hard. I’m stumbling most of the time and praying the rest (that’s probably in reverse order!! See, I need help.). My kids often say, “Parenting is tough, isn’t it, Mom?!” And I’m all like, yes, yes it is. Just last night, my son told me I was too strict. Why? Because I told him not to whine in my presence. Aren’t we glad Jesus isn’t like that! Yikes. And yes, there are times when I want to escape to the Bahamas and selfishly enjoy the beach without cleaning sand out of the many crevasses of another human being.
All that being said, motherhood is still a gift. One that I realize I might not have apart from the Lord. Perhaps it is the four miscarriages I’ve endured that cause me to have such great affection for this calling of motherhood (we are all “called” to mother one way or another). But, at the same time, I do believe it’s one of the hardest things I’ve done. And as a pro-life woman who believes in a holistic approach to pro-life, part of my love of motherhood is my God-given role to shepherd and care for these littles.
I’m not saying everyone who shares their motherhood woes is only seeking after relevance. Many stories are actually hilarious and oh so true. But I do think that the mom who truly does enjoy motherhood should have the freedom to express it without the fear of judgment. As it has been said, what we put on the Internet will stay in the cloud forever. We should seek to be true and honest if we decide to post and we should also consider what would be seen later.
So, go out and do your motherhood thing in faith! And if you are weary, know that you are not alone! And if you are filled with joy and delight—also know you are not alone!
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