No Holding Back

Living With Purpose

5 Things I Like About Myself… as a Mother

By

Mothers…

Sometimes we get a bad rap. A lot of times we feel pressured to be more than we can be.

But today, instead of getting down on myself, I choose to celebrate the things that I do well as a mom.

Kathryn's Bench in Kathryn's Butterfly garden

Kathryn’s Bench in Kathryn’s Butterfly garden

Although I’ve given myself a very difficult time over what has happened in the last year, and I would never qualify myself as the best mom in the room, there are some things that I really like about myself as a mom.

1. I love to laugh. I love it when my kids laugh. I love when we laugh together. There is nothing more fun to me in the world than when one of my kids does or says something funny, I laugh at them, they laugh at me laughing, and my two year old, five year old and I wind up in a good ole fashioned giggle fest. I love it that I can enjoy their silliness. It reminds all of us to chill out and not to sweat the small stuff! I don’t know what I would have done after I lost my baby Kathryn if my two year old had not kept me laughing non stop.

2. Dance parties! Yep.  My kids, husband, and I have them. At every opportunity we “bust a move” to all kinds of genres of music. We dance around the living room and my kids show off their favorite “rad moves.” I show them a thing or two as well! I am pleased to say that my ki

ds seem to have the same eclectic taste in music as I do, and disheartened to say they have my awkward dancing ability. We bust a move to anything from Veggie Tales to Black Eyed Peas to Pink!, Will Smith, some hard rock to Jack Johnson. You never know what might pop up on the playlist!

3. I’m raising self confident girls into self assured women. More than anything I want my daughters to be OK with who they are. I want them to not only hear but to believe that they are beautiful, smart, and capable of doing anything they want to do. I pray there is never a moment in their lives that they settle for something because they feel that they don’t deserve it or aren’t good enough. They can have, do, become whatever they want. I will never tell them differently, although I will always do my best to make sure they learn the tools they need to succeed. I tell my girls every day that they are beautiful, they are smart, and I love them. These are things they will never doubt.

4. I chose my kids. Staying home with kids is not for everyone, and this is certainly not to say that women who are working (due to their own circumstances or choice) do NOT choose their kids, but in my case, it was a choice. For quite awhile I did not believe staying home was for me and was definitely more difficult than working in many ways. I had a very rewarding, successful, challenging career, but a part of me always wanted to be the soccer mom, the classroom mom, the mom that always chaperones the field trips… thanks to a supportive husband and a big tightening of the belt, I was able to leave my job to be with my kids. L

ittle did I know in the next year I would get pregnant with identical twins, run into serious complications due to Twin to Twin Transfusion, be hospitalized three times (the third time keeping me away from my then four year old and 22 month old for five weeks) and then ultimately lose one of the babies two days after they were born. That experience made me realize exactly how precious these little ones are to me and certainly drove home the point that I made the right decision to leave my career.

5. I take time for myself. Although I enjoy being home with my kids, everyone needs a break. I realize that “me” time, and more importantly, “me” time with good friends is important to my mental and emotional well being. My husband and I also try to maintain a date night, because we know that “us” time is so important to a healthy marriage. Taking the time to do fun things and to get away with my friends from time to time has kept me sane and allows me to not completely lose myself in my kids. In turn, I believe this makes me a better mom.

What do you know? It’s not so hard to find some things I like about myself as a mother after all…

 

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Comments

  2. Love, love, LOVE this post! And having been a part of some of the dance parties, I agree that is definitely something to love and cherish! Laughter is medicine for the soul, so keep up the giggling, too!

  3. I totally relate to this post and can say I share similar themes. I love dancing with my kids – who knows how long they will let me be a crazy person with them bouncing around to pop music or rock. I also love your sentiment around raising strong girls. My daughter is only 2, but I definitely want her to know she has choices and is smart and strong. There are so many messages out in the media and among girls themselves that challenges their self-esteem, so I want to teach her to see the world in a healthy manner. Great post!

  9. Great list! So I’m not the only dancing fool, am I? And taking time for yourself is so important – I think it shows my kids that I am also a wife, a friend, and a well rounded person in addition to be their mom.
    Dana recently posted…My Humongous DIY Stairs FailMy Profile

  11. Hello I came by from Linkin’ with my Ladies to visit. I love this post. I am a stay at home Mom as well. I love being here for my children. I love being able to put them on the bus and get them off. I also have worked before and do understand the need. I don’t judge someone either way.
    I am now following your blog on bloglovin’ and look forward to reading more in the future.
    Patricia @ The TT Diaries recently posted…Finish the Sentence Link UpMy Profile

  13. I love the theme of this post! It’s a feel good post.

    We used to have dance parties every night. Not sure how long it’s been since we stopped but you’ve reminded me that we need to start up again. My favorite home video is one where I secretly tapped my husband and kids dancing to “Bust a Move”.
    Marie Oliveira recently posted…Endorphins and more races in my futureMy Profile

    • Dance parties are the best! I originally wrote this when I was just starting to come out of a really dark place, and I needed to be reminded that I didn’t totally suck as a mother! 🙂

  14. I love that you’ve focused on your strengths! I need to do this more often! #1 and #4 are my favorites. I love to laugh! And yes, this stage of life I’m in is a very deliberate choice. It can be hard at times. I feel like I don’t always have tons in common with some of my friends, who are also mothers, just because our lives are so different. But, this SAHM life is what I chose and I’m glad I did! So glad you linked up!

    • Thank you Adrienne! I’m so glad you had Your Going Green again this week! I have missed it! It’s been a little crazy this week, but I will get over there and read every one elses soon!

  15. All of those are such great ones!!!! I absolutely agree… and feel the same about my kids and my mothering faves. 🙂 It’s so important to remind ourselves of the blessings and strengths of who we are as moms and women.
    Chris Carter recently posted…Devotional Diaries: Week 4My Profile

  18. I knew I wasn’t prepared to be a mom when I got pregnant but when I heard my baby’s heartbeat inside my tummy, it was surreal! I love being a mother no matter how hard it can be. It’s great that you can always look at the bright side of things. I wanted to be a stay at home mom but I don’t think I can leave my job right now. 🙂

  19. Your story about choosing your kids… wow. Life is beyond precious.

    Making lists of the good things about ourselves are essential. Often times no one else will do it for us. 🙂