Being A Mom is Tough

I just started an online study on Proverbs 31, Lysa TerkHeurst's book "Am I messing Up My kids".  We are on week 1 so there is still time to jump in and join if you are interested in participating.  Check it out here.
Am I Messing Up My Kids?: ...and Other Questions Every Mom Asks

Look at those sweet little faces!

Being a Mom is tough. I can't say that without letting out a huge sigh and feeling a bit of pity for myself. Being a Mom is what I knew I wanted more than anything since I was a little girl. I was the one girl that played with dolls way past what seemed "normal". Once I became a Mom there was no doubt that having children would be the "joy" of my life. But...no one told me it was going to be this hard!

I think it starts the minute you know you are pregnant. The worry that you will do it right (pregnancy), and worrying that baby will not come early, and be totally healthy, then preceded by those first few days of anxiety over every cough, sneeze, grunt and squeak.

Being the self-help junkie I am, I constantly seek books, and advice to make sure I am doing it "right", so I read all the books I can find on parenting toddlers, parenting boys, parenting girls, and now, I am entering the parenting teens section.

Most of the Mom's I know rely on most of what they know from their childhood as a guideline of what to do and mostly what NOT to do. How many of us, especially after having kids, look back on our childhood and see what mistakes (we think) our parents made and vow to never do that to our children?! After being a parent for 13 years, there are many things that I did in the early years, that I have vowed to never do again to my other children. You learn by experience.

I have four kids total.  A 13 year old girl, 10 year old boy, 6 year old boy and 2 year old girl. I also have a divorce 8 years ago, the oldest two are from my first marriage. Being a Mom is tough enough, but add the failure of a marriage into the mix and you have major emotional disaster.  Add a new marriage and new siblings, and things get even tougher.

I worry frequently that I am "messing up my kids" when I have one of those days where nothing goes right and I loose my cool and react instead of respond to my circumstances.  When I hastily make a bad judgement call on a discipline or lack of. Which is usually due to my lack of sleep, lack of patience or just being plain worn.

Loving our kids means we love them no matter what. Part of the tough part of being a Mom is gritting our teeth and loving them tough enough. Doing the right thing is not always the comfortable, easy thing to do for us as parents, but ultimately is the best for our children. I have to frequently remind myself that any consequence I put on my child for their mistakes now,  is easier on them today, than if they make them years later as a young adult. Parenting should be guiding your children to the best choices now, so they can make the best choices later. And that is, for me, some of the tougher parts of parenting. I seek to nurture, love, inspire them, empower them, and build them into the strong humans that will fulfill the plans that God has for them. Though I ache when they ache, God reminds me that He loves them even more than I do. Sometimes I just have to step back and pray that God will continue His good work in them, trusting that His power is greater than any influence of the world in their hearts.

It's not too late to start this new Lysa TerkHeurst study over at the Proverbs 31 website.  Sign up online here. And then make sure you get a copy of the new book, "Am I Messing Up My Kids" over at Amazon on Kindle or paperback.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the study!