As I look at all the pics of new babies and new baby bumps in my FB newsfeed, I ooh and aah, smile and laugh, as they truly make my heart glad. I also feel compelled to remind these wonderful mommies of a few things.
First, you grew or are growing, in your womb or in your heart, a wonderful, precious, gift from God. Congratulations! You are blessed! Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalms 127:3 KJV
Now, to address a few issues so many moms struggle with. One of which is feeling lazy when home with their babies as housework is sometimes left unattended. Stop! Stop feeling bad about dishes in the sink. Stop feeling bad about laundry left in the washer, to be re-washed time and again. Stop feeling bad about forgoing a shower while gazing at your little one sleep. Stop feeling lazy for not making the bed, or vacuuming, or dusting. Stop feeling lazy for not scrubbing toilets or showers. Please, stop!
You are not lazy, you are not a bad mom or a bad wife. Your first priority is to care for and nurture your baby. Doing so means more than clothing them, feeding them, diapering them. It means so much more than making sure your home sparkles. And you are doing a fantastic job of nurturing and loving your little one! I am not saying that cleaning up the home is not a good thing to do, just that it is okay to let it go now and then so you can spend more time snuggling your baby.
When your child grows up, what do you think he or she will remember, and cherish, about childhood? It is most certainly not the messy hair, the dishes in the sink, the crumbs on the counter. Your child will remember most how you made him or her feel. How much time you spent, how much love you gave, how many hugs and kisses he or she received. Your job as a mom is to love and nurture.
That extra time spent snuggling instead of doing laundry? Worth it! The hour spent reading to your baby instead of cleaning bathrooms? Worth it! The countless hours spent just watching your baby sleep, eat, or play instead of vacuuming or taking a shower? Worth it! As long as all of those things get done eventually, take all the extra time to love on your babies as you want. They are little for only so long, make the time with them as wonderful as possible.
Another issue I see moms struggle with has to do with comparing themselves to other moms. Just stop already! Do you co-sleep? That is awesome! Does your baby sleep in a crib, either in your room or a nursery? That is great! Do you make homemade costumes/gifts/decorations? Fantastic! Do you buy all those things instead? Wonderful! Are you more of a no TV, only music and books kind of mom? Good for you! Are you a mom that just needs a few minutes of mommy time and turns on the TV now and then? Super!
There is so much more but, I think you get the idea. Each of us moms has our own personality, our own strengths, our own weaknesses. All of our kids have their own personalities, their own abilities, their own strengths and weaknesses. There is no ONE way to be a good mom. Stop fretting about unmade beds and unwashed dishes. Stop worrying about how other moms do things. Focus on being the best mommy to your child that you can possibly be. Snuggle with, read to, play with, dance with, laugh with, your sweet little one, nurturing and loving him or her and, I guarantee you, your child will cherish you and think you are the best mommy in the world!
So, cheers to you, all you super-moms! You are doing a fantastic job!
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