We’ve all been there. Or at least I have been there. No matter how much time, effort, prayer and love you put into parenting, there are days you feel like a failure. Even if you love being a mother more than anything in the world, there will be days you wish you were the kid again. It doesn’t really matter the cause, because often there isn’t one glaring thing. Sometimes the lack of sleep, having to instruct your child how to do or not do something for the thousandth time or having a house full of sick people just makes you want to crawl up in a little ball and cry.
Only, for some reason, most moms feel like they can’t really cry. The worried reactions from our kids and husband when we do cry just seem to make it feel like we shouldn’t ever let them know we are discouraged. Somehow it feels like a betrayal or that we are saying we don’t love being a wife and mom. Often we are afraid to open up to other adults for fear they will confirm what we currently secretly suspect – we have no earthly clue what we are doing and we could quite possibly be ruining our kids.
Ever wonder why the Bible tells us Jesus went off by himself and prayed so often? I think Jesus knew exactly what it felt like to be a mom. He spent every day nurturing, instructing, healing and even feeding dozens and often thousands of people. Yet, even God’s Son felt the drain emotionally, physically and spiritually (John 4:6, Luke 5:16, etc.) after constantly caring for others. It wasn’t that he didn’t love them or that he didn’t enjoy his ministry, he just needed to recharge.
The average mom’s to-do list would rival that of any top corporate executive. Most moms are juggling multiple activities for multiple people (most of whom can’t drive) and handle a variety of chores, errands, holiday preparations and more. It’s easy to see why many crucial things like God get lost in the crush of the immediate urgent things needing to be done.
by Glynnis Whitwer. Whitwer is the executive director for Proverbs 31 Ministries. She does a great job of taking the time to break down the problem of procrastination – putting off the crucial things in life – like spending the time necessary to really disciple our kids towards God.
Kids get a lot of exposure when they are young to God’s seasons of summer, spring, fall and winter. Yet, we rarely teach kids about the other seasons God sometimes gives us and always guides us through. Now if you are like me, the first time I heard about these other seasons, I was a bit puzzled.
My high school graduation was wonderful. My speech went well. I loved celebrating our graduation with tons of good friends and family. I was so excited about attending college that August, I could barely stand it. Yet that night, I cried myself to sleep.
by Kristen Strong. As a military wife, Strong is no stranger to change. As someone also born with a low tolerance for change, Strong struggled to learn how to deal with the many changes her husband’s career demanded. The result is a very practical book to help others struggling with change.
It seems like every time you adapt to your child’s newest stage of development, he changes again. Often this means you are thrust into new and unfamiliar environments. I will never forget my first PTA meeting after our daughter entered kindergarten. The people running the meeting threw out so many unfamiliar acronyms, I felt like I was listening to another language. Thankfully, a more experienced mom took pity on me and translated.
by Sherre Hirsch tries to help you tackle those jitters and confidently cross into your next adventure.