“Owning your role as a mother will not only shape your children but also generations to come. Your labor of love has far-reaching consequences and as you build another’s soul, you’ll find that you’re building your own as well.”

I think it’s safe to say that motherhood is one of the hardest and most taxing jobs in the world. What makes it even harder is that the rewards are not seen as quickly as we would want them to be. Motherhood requires constant teaching, redirecting, reinforcing and repetition. What we may not realize as we raise our children is that we too are on a learning journey along with our children. We learn to be patient, long suffering and to practice giving and receiving grace. We also learn to be consistent as we redirect and reinforce behaviors in our children. We benefit from raising our children as we grow and work on our own characters, even questioning our responses to certain situations, sometimes readjusting after seeing our children mirroring some of own bad habits. 

While we worry about the responsibilities of raising our children and teaching them the things we know about life, they are the ones that teach us what life is all about. I remember struggling with the title of “just a mom” at a time when a lot of my colleagues and friends were climbing corporate ladders, pursuing 2nd and 3rd degrees, traveling and living their best lives from what I chose to see. I recall thinking to myself, “you’re just a mom” and seeing no great value in my then role as a stay at home mom of 3 little kids. Boy was I wrong! I have come to understand that maybe, as one mom aptly put it; “your greatest contribution to the world may not be something you do, but who you raise.” Let’s face it, we all can’t be high flying attorneys, doctors and career driven women, some women’s ministry and calling is in the humble but fulfilling role of raising children. Please don’t get me wrong, we can do it all, but for some pursuing a career comes later in life after raising the kids, while for others, quitting the workforce and staying at home becomes more fulfilling for them and they are okay staying at home and that’s absolutely fine too. There’s no right or wrong way when it comes to women and the path they choose after having children. Our journeys are different and beautiful in their own unique ways and that’s what makes the world colorful – our differences.

Everyone who is a success in whatever capacity in the world today has one thing in common – they were birthed by a woman, a mom. Going the extra mile to pour into your kids and raising them well by instilling values in them that will help them succeed in life and be good human beings in adulthood is invaluable. One cannot put a price tag on that. So dear mommy, next time you find yourself undermining your value of being “just a mom,” remember that yours is an imperative role of raising that future well rounded human being. It all starts with you, by building up and molding your children where it matters the most, in your home.

In closing, please be reminded that every season is not for harvesting. There’s a time for planting, watering, pulling up the weeds and watering again, the time will come when you can do all those things that you think you’re missing out on when your kids get older!

Until next time,

Trudy M.