When I was a new mom, I often compared myself to other moms. Some were more playful and some more organized. Others kept a meticulous house and their children looked like they should be on the cover of Children’s Wear Daily. It was discouraging to be around a mom that had some unique gift in mothering that I did not have. I let myself get caught up in feeling like a failure because I didn’t have that talent, gift, ability, or personality.
Later, I came to realize that everyone has a unique gift in mothering. Though none of us is perfect, every one of us brings something special to the table. We all have an individual way of expressing our love and personality in parenting. Be encouraged because you are a great mom! You aren’t like every other mom, and maybe you’re not exactly what you want to be, but you are you, and that’s who God created you to be. He chose you for your children. You are the very one that He selected—and you will become even better as the years progress (just as your children will!).
I remember reading the book “Stepping Heavenward” and being especially encouraged by the passage where Elizabeth Prentiss reveals how astonished she was that her “perfect” mother had not always been perfect. All she knew was the mature, wonderful, godly woman that her mother was when she wrote that book as an adult. However, her mother confided to her that, as a young mother, she was quite selfish and unpleasant. This wonderful autobiography written as a fictional story blessed me tremendously. We all grow and mature as parents. We are all a work in progress. I’m so glad I’m not the way I was when my kids were really young, and I’m especially grateful that they don’t remember the way I was.
Celebrate the mother that you are. You are a great mom, unlike any other mom. One day, our children will gather together and say, “Remember how mom used to always ________(fill in the blank)” or, “I loved it when mom _______________(fill in the blank)” or “Whenever ____________it reminds me of how mom used to ___________.”
How will your children fill in the blanks? What kind of mom do you want to be to them?
Ask God to make you the mom you long to be to your children.
And as He works, remember you are already a great mom!
Read on for more encouragement and inspiration.
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