It never fails... With itsybitsy ones at home, our days quickly become a blur of chunky spit-up, toxic diapers, and never-ending sibling rivalry. Sure, "things will get easier" when the kids are older, but do they really? Every stage of improvement seems to bring its own challenges and frustrations to the table. Is it categorically inherent to "get things under control" and live a "normal, happy life"?
Well, I hate to break it to you, girlfriend, but you are already living a "normal life." Motherhood is tough. You'll second-guess yourself continuously. You'll wonder either you've made a mistake. You'll believe that you've scarred your children for life. And you'll be unavoidable that the mom you see at the supermarket or the park or the library or wherever is doing a far best job than you... (never mind the fact that it is now 3 o'clock in the afternoon, she hasn't showered since last Tuesday, and the only surmise she's finally out of the house is to get away from her over-critical-in-town-for-a-month-long-visit mother-in-law that was driving her crazy!)
Train Table For Kids
It's time to get real. Here's the brutal honest truth... Your body will never be the same again. Your life will never be your own again. You will never "measure up" to anyone else so long as you continue to try. Your expectations have been shot to hell. Your dreams of a picture-perfect marriage have been shattered. You'll wonder either or not you'll ever do anyone right in your life again. And though the day-to-day routines and astonishing feelings of ignorance get you down-I did earn my Bachelor's degree, right?-there will be peaceful and joyous moments tucked in between the folds.
Sure, you don't believe me now. But you will. Eventually. For me, the moment that I treasure most was on a warm and sunny summer afternoon. We had moved from Michigan to Kentucky in June. I took Amanda to Scott County Park in the hopes of "getting a break" and "keeping her busy" at the playground. Instead, for the first time since birthing her 3 years earlier, I found myself finally enjoying my daughter as we played together on the playground. If but only for a short afternoon, I no longer resented her for "forcing" me to put aside my own "grown-up agenda." Hopefully, you will come to find your own treasured moments on Planet Mom much sooner, and in the interim, rest assured that something-someone-far larger than us is at work here...
This world that we know is but a fraction of what is... We have been put on this earth to serve as the hands of God, cultivating His children to do His good works. We have not been called to perfection. We could never maybe attain perfection. Our charge is to care for His children and His earth.
Simply put, life and all the things that come with it are "perfectly imperfect." Continually evolving. Ever-changing. Perfection in motherhood is an unattainable goal. A perfectly organized home simply does not exist in the real world. Lives change. Families change. Homes change. And yet, if you reach out, God will take you by the hand and guide you toward His extreme purpose. All day, every day. I urge you to accept yourself for who, what, and where you are today... Hateful, inadequate feelings and all.
Just as you guide and train your children to be kinder, gentler, best people, allow God to do the same for you. Though you categorically know what is best for your children, you cannot maybe know what He has in store for you. Trust in His wisdom, and allow yourself to be a "perfectly imperfect" mom to your children.
Are You "Perfectly Imperfect"? Recognizing God's Deepest Desires For You and Your Children
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