When Motherhood Feels Hard

Has the question “am I cut out for this?” ever crossed your mind concerning motherhood?  If so, you’re not alone. Motherhood is a beautiful gift, a blessing, a literal privilege with total capacity to fill one with immeasurable joy, wonder, and indescribable fulfillment. With all of it’s virtues motherhood can simultaneously feel debilitating, overwhelming, and painful. It’s usually during these trying times that feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and self doubt begin to creep in and the mental spirals begin to torment without mercy.

Flowers are fragile and need tender care

Having a family is costly, it is no easy thing. It requires sacrifice, understanding, endless self-less efforts, daily forgiveness, and dedication. The most challenging part of it all: remaining. This is a blog for when the motherhood journey gets hard and the “right approach” to a particular faced situation may not feel attainable, accessible, or possible. It is our natural human response to want to walk away from what feels hard. It’s not uncommon to want to avoid things that make us feel uncomfortable, challenged, pressed, and stressed over and over again. So I understand you.

But how could one possibly “walk away” from our children when we know how vulnerable they are and how much they depend on us for basically everything?  Honestly, it’s not even about finding the “right approach” to navigate the difficult situations that lead us to feeling stuck. But more about identifying the “best approach”. And the best approach usually begins with the parent, checking in with themselves when things start to get tough.

Flowers need water to survive, have you considered watering you today?

So much of parenting is tending to the parts of you that need support and understanding, especially during the times that feel the hardest.  Our children often trigger the dry, empty, unaddressed, and wounded spaces inside of us. The areas that if we were to be completely honest can no longer remain unattended but that demand immediate careful consideration and attention.

Moms deserve all the flowers

Be kind to yourself mama!  You already do so much. This is the time to tend to your own needs and areas of depletion.  I’m here to encourage you to be self compassionate. May you experience a kind of compassion that will motivate you to actually do something to care for you!  Because you matter. You are important. God loves you and wants to meet your needs. While there is no such thing as being a “perfect” mother, there are many avenues and ways to be an amazing one.

And that you already are!

So take a deep breath.
Place your hand in your heart & feel the miracle of your pumping heart.
Receive a comforting hug from the Father.
You are loved.
So loved mama.