29 Mar Breaking Free from Mom Guilt: Embracing Imperfection and Finding Strength in Today
Yep. It is totally a very real thing. You know, that moment when another mom is talking about how she found out her child loves birds so she signed him up to take birding classes. Meanwhile, you’re thinking, “I can’t even get my kid to comb his hair, let alone figure out his interests and provide him awesome opportunities.” Or maybe you try to find a voice teacher for your kid because you want to help him get better. So you ask around only to discover all the best ones that “everyone is using” are way out of your price range. Or maybe it is just the moment you totally lose your cool, yell at your kids, and make life miserable in your home.
Yep. Total mom fail leading to mom guilt! It is the comparison game we all play. How do I measure up to other mothers? How do my kids measure up to other kids? I think it is even worse in the homeschool community! You know, seeing the kid who graduates high school at 15 with enough dual credits to get an associate’s degree. Or the one that has been reading since he was 3 years old, while I am just hoping my boys all graduate with the ability to read! Or the family that sits down every day and has nice, quiet, well-behaved children for devotion time. Their kids can quote long passages of Scripture when I can’t even get everyone to sit down together for more than 5 minutes! Yep, Mom guilt.
Confronting Mom Guilt Head-On
So how does a mother deal with all the mom guilt? It’s so hard to let it go; you keep beating yourself up. A wise friend once said, “I am doing the best I can today.” I wrote that in the back of my Bible and have referred to it often. Today…not the best ever, not the best mom, not the best Christian, not the best wife. I am doing the best I can TODAY. Hopefully, tomorrow I can be a little better and the next day a little better.
I have to keep my focus on what is important today and keep my eyes on what gives me strength to get through another day: Jesus. Some days, all I can do is say His name because no other words come to me.
I can also become like a duck. When ducks get wet, the water just rolls off their backs. Let the guilt, failures, and hard moments just run off your back like water. And then do the best you can TODAY.