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April 2, 2018

If I Had Motherhood To Do Over, I'd Still Do These Five Things


The following is a short list of my mistakes as a mom just with my first (a.k.a., "learner") child.
  • High-pressure potty training. 
  • Starting her in kindergarten and ballet and church kids' club all in the same week.
  • That accidental half sumo wrestler/half alien hula girl birthday cake.
  • Letting her sign on for a killer academic and extracurricular load her sophomore year in high school just because we knew she'd be able to handle it.
  • Not having her take a math class the semester before she took the SAT.
  • All the yelling. (Mine.)
  • All the meltdowns. (Also mine.) 
The thing is that when you are a new mom (and that means "new" at every stage), everything seems to matter. And it seems to matter a lot. In fact, the mattering seems to start even before you have the child who will make you a mom in the first place. It matters what doctor or midwife you choose. Then it matters what detergent you buy to prewash your baby clothes. Then it matters where you give birth and how you give birth and what baby-wearing device you have and, eventually, if you should send your child to preschool and, if you should, which preschool, and on it goes. 

I know, because I worried about these things, too. But the blessing of being a mom with some mileage on her is that you have the keen perspective of hindsight. The older your children get, the more you're able to see how the story you've been writing turns out.

I'd be so grateful if you took a moment to head over to Simple As That to read the rest of this post. With a bunch of years behind me and my (mostly) delightful teenage children in front of me, there are five things that truly seem to have mattered...things that, unlike that hula girl cake, I'd do again.




https://simpleasthatblog.com/5-things-id-do-over-again-as-a-mom/


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6 comments:

  1. I love the weird family theme (of course!) and how you didn't feel they had to act like little happy things all the time! I just love when I see kids being allowed to be themselves - quirks and all!

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    1. Aw, thank you, my sweet Lisa! I know you welcome weird at your house, too...which is how I know I'd feel right at home there. :)

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  2. "Motherhood is a great, grand calling to shape eternal souls and mold the minds and hearts of people who are given to us as gifts."
    This is a great statement!
    I find the time aspect to be challenging. There is so much I need to get done, but so often I stop what I'm doing to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to my girls for the 80th time this week.
    Thanks for the reminder that these "interruptions" are with it!

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    1. Thank you so much for taking time in the midst of all those things to read this, Shannon, and for leaving this lovely encouraging feedback! You're doing a fabulous job at this great, grand calling, sweet mama.

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  3. My kids are still young but I'm a much different mom to my baby (now almost four) than I was with my first. Wish I had been this way all along. You're right that we get all caught up in all.the.things instead of just enjoying the journey we are on. Visiting from Wonderful Wednesday party.

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    1. There's always something new to learn as a mom, isn't there, Victoria? Even with my teens, I hope I'm still "refining"! :) Thanks so much for stopping by...blessings on your day!

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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!