I’m learning, over and over again, that motherhood doesn’t always look like we planned it to. Can I get an amen? There are things that slip through the cracks, things that look drastically different than we planned, things we forget about, and things we want to forget about. I laugh when I think about who I was, seven years ago, with one baby, to who I am today with baby number five on the way. Thank the Lord for His grace, and that He changes us (re:me).
Every once in a while someone will say something, let’s say about taking their kids to the zoo for example, shall we? Suddenly, a slight panic attack will creep up that I HAVE NEVER TAKEN MY KIDS TO THE ZOO. They shall die animal-less and it’s all my fault. AND WHERE EVEN IS THE NEAREST ZOO? Seriously, where is it though. This happens all the time… when we read something, when we see something, when we remember something… and how we’re mothering isn’t how those things are. An ohmygoodness guilt can creep in that has got to get the boot, my friends.
I once had this dream of what dinners would look like for our family. You know, where your husband strolls in the door at exactly 5 PM, you’re pulling dinner out of the oven, and the kids lovingly set the table. You all pray together, sit together, and talk about your days. It’s lovely, really. And that dream for me is still very much that, a dream. There are so many things I remember from my “childhood” when I am actually a teenager. I have this vision in my head of what happened back then, but when I really remember, I’m all Oh ya, I was FOURTEEN not two. Let’s throw our hands in the air and give ourselves some grace, mamas of little ones. There are things that one day we will be able to do, and now is not the time. And that’s okay.
My man has, maybe never, walked through the door at 5 PM. I have one child who literally can’t sit still, and we don’t make him. I have one kid who refuses to eat anything unless it’s peanut butter or cake. I have one baby who throws his entire dinner across the room the second we give it to him. Oh, family dinners don’t look like what I had planned. No, no, no. But you know what? I wouldn’t change it. My kids aren’t who I imagined them to be. They’re so much better. They are just what the Lord knew I needed. They teach me more about forgiveness and grace than I could have ever imagined.
I’m here today to tell myself, and you, it’s okay. It’s okay if you forgot to teach your seven year old how to tie a shoe, because he only wears velcro. Or heck, you tie his shoes for him. It’s okay if you let your kids watch TV during the week, and it’s okay if you don’t. They can’t ride a bike? No problem. Haven’t been to the zoo? Dirt.off.my.shoulder.
Moms, He has called you here. Not just here as in being a mom, but right here in this moment you’re in right now. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
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Danielle, I love this! Thank you for encouraging me!
One of my favorite reads in a LONG time!! Love this, love how real it is and how refreshing it is to read such grace and realism 🙂
AMEN! Could not relate to this more 🙂
Wow, thank you for this. I have printed your "grace upon grace" printable and hung it in my living room, and it is SUCH an encouragement to me. Thanks for allowing the Lord to use you. 🙂
I love this post. And I agree… life looks so different for all of us, and we're all just doing the very best we can 🙂
This is my fave!
danielle i so needed to hear exactly this today! with it being valentines day and all my girls reminded me at the last minute that they needed a valentines day box. oh did i mention we have a 5 week old baby boy…. we had no time for pinterest so we talked a little about how they wanted to decorate their bag and i let them go with it. my 1st grader went with a snowman who was smoking a legit corn cob pipe. i mean smoke at all. i felt bad for not putting more time into it but they had a great time decorating and were happy with what they do so that is all that matters right? it actually felt good to let them do their thing. until i am scrolling through facebook last night and see all the other awesome valentine boxes….. i felt like a total mom fail. then i read your post this morning. no dirt off my shoulder. thank you. so so much. thank you.
I also needed to hear this!! This perfectly describes thoughts I've been having. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time and not push things. We also don't even have a table anymore so we eat standing up or on the couch. It's silly but that's our lives 🙂
I'll amen to that sister!!! Oh supper time how I love thee;P
Yes! I never even thought about the fact that yes, all my memories of civil dinners were of when my siblings and I were older. Such a great point. Thank you!
Wonderful post! My two crazy, energetic boys seem to have the most atrocious table manners, especially by 5 in the afternoon. Forgetaboutit, right? Not worth the stress to have such high expectations. Thanks for being so reassuring!
My son couldn't tie his shoes at 7 (or 8 or 9…) He didn't ride a bike. I don't recall when I could stop buying shoes with velcro; and he never quite "got" the bike thing. But, with a certain amount of confidence, he went off to a Christian college this year (his choice) to learn more about God, and computer science, and life… wearing shoes that tie!
Lovely post! You are stating very good things! Kids will never be whom we imagined. They will not stop surprising us! And this is wonderful because there are so much amazing things you can learned from them. So you must find time for children always! Even if you are studiyng or working hard kids will need you always. Now I am using this http://gohunters.com/case-study-analysis to have enough time for my boys! But I am not ready to pass on at college so you need to choose. Thank you for the article!
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Don’t worry! I’m sure you are a good mother. Look how much do you care about them by only writing this post. Once, I’ve been working for one case study writing service and I was awfully busy every day. I was haunted by the feeling that I’m terrible mother because I couldn’t pay much attention to my kids. But in this case, my husband really helped. He just explained me that earning money for better living of your own kids is a commonplace. We just have to prioritize everything in a proper way.
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