Since my last post (and since my "thing" at the school is now over) I have been thinking a lot about my role and how I spend my time. One of my kids is really struggling right now. This child is having a hard time fitting in and making friends. It breaks my heart every night as I hear sobbing coming from the bedroom and as school is now a HUGE source of dread. This is the first issue I have had as a mom that I feel like I can't just "fix" myself. I know there is a lot more to come. But this is a hard reality for me. It is consuming my thoughts right now. We talk endlessly about how to make it better, and I feel like we never get anywhere.
My friend and neighbor reminded me of this talk after my last post. Some of these words go through my head constantly. I actually remember hearing this talk while Spencer and I were in Hawaii 5 1/2 years ago. It struck me and I recognized immediately the importance of these words. I remember thinking "Yes!" so many times. (And there was so much controversy about this talk! Why?!)
Yesterday as I was thinking about my kids, and specifically this one child, I felt like I need to carefully give as much time as possible to them (and especially this one). I need to eliminate a few more minor things to be completely present when they are home. Mothers who know do less is what I hear in my head all day long. Nevermind the fact that I don't really do extracurricular things right now, but I can do less of those things that are in-home distractions.
Here is my favorite excerpt from this talk:
Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord’s kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power.
Maybe now that I have this down somewhere as public as my blog I can be accountable and do a little better. I want to be this kind of mom! I probably can't fix this issue going on right now with my child but I want this person to feel like I tried, and know that I care. And if I don't give it a little more effort it will probably end up breaking my heart.
This mom thing sure has a learning curve, doesn't it?
Monday, March 4, 2013
mothers who know
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5 comments:
You are a super star, Cheri! Thanks for a reminder about this talk. I have definitely felt my own hobbies slow down considerably since adding a second to our home and focusing more on both kids. I have definitely felt blessed by it, and even as I itch to do more, I don't.
It was pretty sad how much controversy there was over that talk. Such a good one!
Thanks for posting this. Oddly enough, I've had very similar thoughts lately. I try so hard to be good at other things, but why not focus on being a really good mom. I'll never regret that. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one thinking about this.
Wow, that is a powerful talk! I really needed to read that.
Wish I could be more like you! And motherhood has been the hardest thing for me to learn (way harder than nursing), I can't imagine how its going to be with more than one!
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