Jun

30

Motherhood, life, and happiness

Posted by Cindy

June 30, 2007 |

Sometimes it feels like motherhood is just a short phase for right now. I’ve often sat back and thought about when the kids are older and I can “get on with my life”. Maybe go back to school, try a new hobby, or explore something I love. It is during these moments that I forget that motherhood can be so much more than just a pitstop before my real life begins.

MamaBlogga wrote a great post on seeing motherhood inthis way can cause resentment. Her post Why fulfillment? definitely spoke to me. Why not be proud of our accomplishments now, as mothers. Taking pride in the work and effort we put in every day without children rather than seeing it as a chore we have to suffer through now to get to the rewards later. Everything we do as mothers is important, even if we don’t get a big paycheck or a fancy certificate for it. Dana at Principled Discovery shared something similar in her post Finding Purpose. She talks about how making your children the sole purpose of your day is a recipe for disaster. Just as constantly looking past your children for your “real life” to begin, making your children whole of your life now can lead to resentment and depression. The comments on this post are as good as the post itself and definitely worth a read as well.

At Song Beneath the Song she shares some Thoughts on life and family that I think adds something important to this conservation. There are many people who are working 40+ hours each week to afford the new car, big house, flat screen TV, … And they still are not happy. She shared a summer she spent in Mexico, staying with a family that lived in relative poverty compared to what the typical American family lives. And yet they were happy.

It is a lot to think about, and it seems to be tugging in several directions at once. But to me, it makes sense. Enjoy today. Take pride in the achievments you make every day. Don’t forget to take some time for yourself now. Not later, when the kids are grown, but now. And don’t worry about keeping up with what everyone else has. Just hug your family and appriciate what treasures you already have.

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Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. Jordan (MamaBlogga) on June 30, 2007 10:50 am

    Thanks so much for sharing these links (and linking to me, of course) and your thoughts on this subject!

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