Hey, Mama! Mother’s Day is here and it’s to time to celebrate YOU. Motherhood is a badge of honor and sometimes a hard one to wear. Some Mamas have batted infertility, miscarriage or the loss of a child. So no matter if you are in the middle of raising little ones or in immense pain, this day is to CHERISH you.
Being a mother is such a wonderful and hard thing all at once. So many feelings of joy, excitement, sadness, and fear. And of course, the feeling of self doubt with questions like “Am I doing enough?” and “Am I good enough?” We all experience feelings of guilt. (I like to use the expression “Pack your bags, we’re going on a guilt trip.”)
Today, know that you are absolutely enough.
No matter our insecurities or self-doubt, our children see us as their heroes. They won’t remember the things we think were so terrible or not good enough. As a working Mom, I have tried to become more intentional with my children so they know how much I think of them. For example, I started drawing pictures on Caleb’s lunch bag when he has to take a brown bag lunch to school for activities. It makes his day. He will talk about this even though it might have been months ago when he saw the pictures! Such a simple thing has made him feel so loved. It really is the small things that matter to them.
Take time for yourself.
Finding balance is hard! It’s easy to have feelings of discontent when there’s laundry to fold, dinner to fix, emails to answer, a child whining, etc. Find a little time for yourself for a few minutes each day. It will leave you energized and inspired and able to tackle it all. I have gone back to doing one sketch a night to help me stay inspired and creative. It only takes about 10 minutes of my time, but it makes a world of difference to me.
Motherhood is an amazing journey. The sleepless nights, the dirty diapers, the crying…it can be overwhelming! The look of joy on your child’s face when you picked them up, the feelings of joy when they made you that special drawing or when they picked that gorgeous dandelion from the yard…these times are priceless!
Today I hope you feel celebrated and loved. You are enough, sweet Mama. I hope you have the chance to take a small moment, no matter what stage of life you are experiencing as a mother, to remember these precious times that go by far too quickly. I am going to hug on boys (if they hold still long enough) a little bit more today and remember those precious toothless smiles.
Happy Mothers Day to you!!! Enjoyed your article.