Mother's Day Goals

Mother's Day is a hard day for a lot of women. It's a day of mourning for many- mourning for children lost or not yet born, mourning for mothers that have been lost to death or estrangement. I wish I could take away that pain for the women around me. I do pray for them every year on Mother's Day, praying for their comfort and for their hearts to heal. I wish I could do more. Maybe some day I'll figure it out.

Mother's Day is also hard for a lot of mothers because of the focus on "super-moms" who can do it all. That's a pity to me. Moms work so hard they really do deserve a day to focus on what they do well. No mom is perfect, but most do a fantastic job. To fight the temptation to compare and inevitably find myself lacking, I have decided to write a list every year on Mother's Day of things I feel like I am doing well. I want this day to be a happy one for me. So, here it is:

1. I share my love of reading with my daughter. We read books all day long. She reads them to herself, but mostly she brings them to me and Brad to read to her. Books are a constant in our lives and I love that. The library is one of our favorite places to visit.
2. I let her get dirty. It's important to me that she feels like she can explore and discover. It's part of being a toddler. I let her feed herself, even though it makes a huge mess. I let her play in the dirt even though it creates more laundry. She loves it.
   
3. I give lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggles. Physical affection is important and I offer it all day long.
4. I let her pick her own outfits. I don't have a great sense of style, and neither does she, but she has fun with it.

   

   This girl loves her panda pajamas and her butterfly sandals and often requests to wear them together. Why not. They're both pink, right?

5. I silly dance with her. We spend a lot of time every day turning on music and dancing until we drop. Her dance moves are much better than mine.
6. I work to maintain a good relationship with her daddy. I try to model healthy relationship behaviors for my daughter. I want her to see how a good marriage works, which means I have to keep improving ours.

   

   Not the best picture, we really struggled taking pictures last night. Amelia was not in the mood.

7. I call grandma every day and let her talk. It's hilarious to watch her gab to my mom. Neither of us have any idea what she's saying, but she has a lot to tell her grandma.

I am not a perfect mom, but I am trying and I'm getting better at it. I'm trying to show her by example that you don't have to be perfect to love yourself and that you can see imperfections without being overcome by shame. I'm working on that. Hopefully I'll be better next year.

Still working on this motherhood thing.

Apparently being held upside down is hilarious. Who knew.