motherhood

Today I was reminded of the best thing about reading other blogs...reading something inspiring, humbling, thought-provoking. Earlier I was talking to my mom on the phone, and telling her that as a mom I often feel like I fall short. I think most (if not all) mothers feel this way at some point. Our world is so fast, and we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect, to get everything right, to have it all, to succeed with flying colors at every single thing we do. Our generation does not take "failure" well. Sometimes it takes our shortcomings staring us in the face to see what our strengths are. God designed us all differently, we are incredibly uniquely different. The one thing God made women to be on a common ground is a mother, or wife. We have the same obligations, the same "chores", responsibilities. We have to learn what works for us. On the outside, moms try to have it all together, with the best minivan or SUV, the cleanest home, the perfect family picture with matching smiles and outfits. The reality is that this is not reality. The real woman has cheerios hiding between the minivan seats, running late because someone threw their brother's shoe in the toilet so they spent the next 15 minutes trying to find another pair, a toddler who happened to sit still enough during a photo session to capture a quick face that resembles smiling, and coat closets full of things that she threw in there so she could have company over without having anxiety. The real mom wonders if she knows at all that what she is doing is perfectly right, all the time. My biggest fear is that one day my kids will be grown and think that I could have done things better. But all I can do is the best I can. I fall very short of perfect, and the truth is that we all do. God created me to be just who I am, with my own strengths and weaknesses. As a new mother (which I still mostly am), I would read parenting books, drive myself crazy comparing myself to other moms who I thought were doing something better, always trying to be more, more more. Now, almost in my seventh year of having the best job in the world, I have learned to relax and just be me. I have found what works best for us, what our groove is, and at the end of the day I know my kids love me to death, and they know the feeling is mutual. I always tell my husband, "We're not perfect, but we're perfect for eachother". Go here to read the awesome post that got me writing this one. :)