Being a mom. It's one of those tough, rewarding, 24/7, crazy emotional types of jobs. One you had no idea what to expect when you signed up for it...or accidentally got thrown into it. But I'm sure all moms out there would say it's the best job they have ever been given.
So if we are all in agreement that some days it is really really hard to be a mom, and some days it is really really amazing to be a mom, why does there seem to be a battle going on between moms? My husband would probably rant at me for even attempting to write about the subject because of how often he sees posts about working/non-working mothers or a variety of other topics. I mean let's face it, there are a lot of discussions going on about the "right way" to parent a child...
Breast fed vs. bottle fed, home delivery vs. hospital, cry it out vs. sleep with your baby, cloth diapers vs. disposables, scheduled feedings vs. feed on demand, stay at home mom vs. working mom (or both), breast feed for 6 mo. vs. 1 year (or 2 or...), pureed food vs. cut up food, starting food at 3 mo. vs. starting food at ??? mo..., rock your baby to sleep vs. cry themselves to sleep, sleep on stomach vs. sleep on back, don't eat chocolate while pregnant/breast feeding vs. eat whatever you want, have a glass of wine while breast feeding vs. are you out of your mind to drink alcohol with a baby, sleep in the car seat vs. never sleep in a car seat, have a noise maker vs. make your baby used to noise, bathe your baby every day vs. bathe your baby once a week, use lotion vs. never use lotion, swaddle your baby vs. are you seriously going to suffocate them like that, read to your baby in the womb vs. can that really make a different, don't change your life at all for your baby vs. never take your baby out of the home, immunizations vs. those cause autism, stick the kid in front of the tv vs. technology kills brain cells ...and this all just for babies. The debates get even more numerous when it comes to when to send your child to school, what type of school to send your child, what type of food to give your child, how to discipline/not discipline your child. For all the decisions that need to be made out there for parenting, there are probably a hundred different options of how they can be done. And for all the people there are in the world, someone somewhere has probably tried it. And the funniest thing is...their kid probably survived. Not only survived, but probably turned out to be a pretty good adult who makes a decent contribution to society.
Now, I am a first time mom. I am far from having things figured out. But of all the things I have learned from parenting in my short six months as a mother, I think the most important came from my own mother. When I was questioning one of the bazillion decisions that I need to make as a mother (probably one of the ones listed above), my mom told me that, "You are his mother. And no one knows your baby and your family like you do. So do what is best for you and your baby."
Wow...light bulb moment. You mean every mom (and dad) out there is probably just doing what they think is best for their child and their family? And even though moms sometimes make very different decisions in parenting, they are all just trying to be the best mom they can be to their child? And you mean when I make a decision maybe they aren't judging me because at some point they have had to make that same decision? So...we're really all in this mothering/parenthood thing together? Yea...I guess we are.
And with all those decisions out there, how important are they...really?? I was reading a book om marriage in light of eternity and it touched on parenting. It made me realize that the thing I want most for my son (and future children) is that he is a follower of Christ. If I can teach him to love the Lord and to see Christ's love in action through me, do all those other little tiny mundane every day decisions really mean all that much? I want my child to be willing to sacrifice all he has for Christ much more than I want him to be breast fed, or sleep through the night, or... Eternity is on the line here...not whether their butts are in cloth or disposable diapers.
So to all you moms (and dads) out there-you're doing a great job. Whatever decisions you have made and will have to continue to make, I hope you know they're just fine. Your child may shed a few more tears or have a few more temper tantrums, but they will be fine. And at the end of the day, as long as they are a disciple of Christ, then you did one heck of a job parenting them.
I saw these two videos the other day (partly helped to spark my thinking on this blog post, along with my night out with 9 moms last weekend), so I had to share it. Hope it brings a few laughs/smiles to your day as you continue to parent your child the best way you know how.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me9yrREXOj4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yotq4zr0dRc
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