How Am I #Rocking Motherhood? The Challenge To See How I’m Doing Motherhood Right.

Recently, I was challenged by Sara over at To Jesus, Sincerely, to talk about how I’m “rocking motherhood.” At first, I felt all squeamish inside, because I was being asked to “brag” on myself. I know that quite often I have mom fails and blunders. I do, though, think it is good to humbly reflect on the ways we are succeeding at anything in life. Sometimes, we spend too much time beating ourselves up instead of looking at the ways we are actually doing a good job.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I “rock motherhood.” A few things came to mind, but like Sara, I wanted to see what my kids said. So, I asked my 15-year old first.

“Rhi, in what ways am I a good mom?”

“I can think of three things off the top of my head. You are always trying to make our home happy. You always cook delicious dinners and make everyone feel loved. You, also, spend almost all your time doing stuff for all of us, like driving us all where we need to go and teaching us. And, you don’t change for the culture.”

I asked her what she meant by this last statement and she said, “Well, you stand strong in your beliefs and you don’t just do whatever the culture is doing. You are different.”

I think hearing her say that moved me more to tears than anything else, because I desire to teach my kids to look different than the world. I want them to stand strong in their faith and be courageous enough to fight against the tide. If they recognize this in me, I feel I am doing something right.

So, I asked my 12-year old the same question.

“Siddo, why would you say I’m a good mom?

“You teach us about everything. You make sure we are healthy by cooking us food all the time and you take us to church and talk about God to us.”

I take very seriously the care of my children’s souls and each day, I strive to help them to Heaven. I know all too well that the world will prey on my children and with all my energy, I will do what it takes to equip, prepare, and guide their precious souls. The risks are too great and I would give my life–my last breath–to protect their souls.

Lastly, I asked my 2-year old what made me a good momma. He just smiled and asked me to sing his favorite funny song. Dear Lord, I love my kids.

What my kids said means the world to me and just the fact that they are smiling, happy, grateful, helpful, loving kids means I must be getting something right. But, there are four things I do that makes me a “rocking mom.”

1. I try to live my life with passion. I want my kids to see me energized and excited about life. I want them to know what I fully love: God, my family, friends, truth, etc. I want to show them that the greatest gift you can give to God is to live your life for Him with passion. A life lived half-way is not the way to live. As their mother, I want to show them that everyday is a gift and we live it fully when we live it passionately.
2. I read to my kids. I read to them as babies and I read to them now. I love having my teenager rest her head on my shoulder as we share a story together. I enjoy so much having my pre-teen snuggle up next to me while I read to her. I cherish having my little man jump into my lap to hear a favorite story for the thousandth time. Books teach so much and I hope to foster a love of reading throughout their lives.
3. I’m an open book with my kids. They know my faults, failings, and blunders. I tell them where I screwed up in my life and how through God’s grace, I figured out how to right the ship. I want them to know that I’m not perfect, but that I do try really hard to do my best. That is what I ask of them. I, also, want them to see that it’s okay to admit your mistakes and faults. I don’t want them to dwell on them, but it’s important, in order to be better people, that we recognize that we can always work to improve ourselves.
4. Lastly, I think one of the greatest ways I “rock motherhood” is by loving their father with all my heart. My kids are assured that their foundation in us is solid ground. They have the peace about them that comes with knowing that mom and dad are one.

Thank you for listening to my thoughts. I still feel a little odd throwing this out there, but, like I said before, it’s good to recognize where you are succeeding. Each good momma out there has her way and I have enjoyed reading how the other moms “rock motherhood.” If I am any kind of good mother, though, it is because of my mother and grandmothers who showed me the way.

So how about you? What ways do you “rock motherhood?” Maybe for this coming Mother’s Day you can ask your kids to share with you their thoughts or just take some time to write it down yourself. Either way, keep rocking motherhood, it’s a beautiful, amazing vocation!