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{March is well under way}

February days are now gone and March has officially kicked in.   I finally purchased a new monthly focus board.  We ventured out for a day date which included a movie. I love our day dates. I will give my honest review about the movie for those interested. I wanted to see this movie as it was based on a true story. I did enjoy the movie but oh my, it was a tear jerker from the get go! It ended good but mercy! Let's just say that I am thankful that no one was sitting close enough to see my tear stained face. I am glad that I saw it but I am good for a while on sad movies, even if they do end good!   My oldest daughter, her husband and their son participated in the Spartan race which is a series of obstacle courses that challenge. They done so well. As you can see from the pictures it gets pretty muddy!  My three daughters participate each year in the Gate River Run. I love it that they do this together. They have so much support & encouragement from all the onlookers. I am just

Wednesday in the Word-The "Art" of being a Mom

Is there an "Art" to being a Mom?

This sweet little thing is already practicing "mommyhood". She doesn't know right now that if it be the Lord's will that she will grow up, marry and become a mommy one day.



I think most every little girl dreams of getting married and becoming a mom one day. I can remember when I was a young child riding my bike around and around in my yard pretending that I was a school bus driver and I had a part time job as a beautician. I also was married to a man named John (at that time of my life I did not even know anyone named John), and I had a little boy named Tommy and a little girl named Brenda.

Well, I have never driven a school bus and did not become a beautician. I married a man named Marty and gave birth to three daughters in which neither are named Brenda. Funny at how things change from when you are 8-9 years old huh? (And truth is, no more than our school bus drivers are paid to transport our precious children I would have had no choice but to get a part time job) Okay, that was FREE!

Being a mom is probably one of the hardest jobs we will ever have. It's much more than this sweet little thing feeding and caring for her baby doll.


It is 1000 different things rolled up into YEARS and YEARS of Motherhood! Sorry, but if you're one that thinks your days of mothering ends when your child turns 18 it doesn't! As my man would say....ONCE A PARENT....ALWAYS A PARENT!

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When you are raising your children you wonder, "am I doing like I am suppose to do as a mom? Am I making the right decisions for him or her? Do I call the doctor or not? Should I buy him a puppy? Should I feed him cereal or carrots? Do I home school, do public school or private school?  Do I buy her a Barbie doll or a learning game? And the questions within ourselves go on and on. 

Then the teenage years come along.....TIP OF THE DAY: This is when you might want to call the Doctor and ask if they can give your teenager drugs until they pass the teenage years...or better yet...give you the drugs! LOL! 

The array of questions begin again....."Should I have let him go on that trip with the school? Should I allow her to have a cell phone? Should I have listened more, talked less? Should I have said yes instead of no?


Then they become grown adults.
And we begin again.... What should I have done differently? What I would do different if given the chance again to start over. 

PARENTING NEVER ENDS!
We spend so much time trying to figure out if WE ARE PERFECT PARENTS and/or take the guilt road on what "could, should or would have been.

  You will never be the perfect parent. Even this precious little gal right here will NOT be the perfect mommy!


 There is ONLY one perfect parent...His Name is God, Christ of the Universe. 

Moms are on a continuous cycle of comparing themselves to other moms! QUIT IT!!!!! 

Just because you may know how to use play dough 1000 different ways does not make you the perfect mom. Just because your child wouldn't eat all of his green beans doesn't make you the worst mom. 

Just because your child is 6 years old and can read on the level of a 10 year old doesn't make you "Mom of the Year" and just because your 10 year old is struggling to read on a 6 year old level doesn't make you the "Worst mom of the year".

We so need to get past this "Am I being a good mom" syndrome of comparing ourselves to other moms!

I remember when my oldest daughter struggled to gain weight. We done everything in our power including many doctor appointments, repeats of testing, and a four day hospital stay along with a 10 page question survey on our ancestors weight, height and eating habits to finally be told...She is going to be small! Well, she still is small today at age 35! But one particular shattering moment to motherhood came when I shared that all I could get her to eat for breakfast at times was chicken noodle soup or pizza!


I can still hear the GASPS of others! SOUP and PIZZA? FOR BREAKFAST? You would have thought I was on purposely killing my child! Little did they know that soup or pizza was the ticket for us to get her to eat period! We as just mere humans will go to whatever measures we need to for our children. I look back and think, "WOW, just that little part of life could have really hurt me". Look, let me be real with you here! Most moms I know are not looking to others to be battered and bruised by careless words. They are looking to others for help, praise, prayer, and guidance.

I share that with you only to say this; YOU BE THE BEST MOM that you can be within your power! You do what is right for YOUR child. You lean on no other person but Christ Himself with your parenting skills! YES, take your Doctor's advice...God gave us the medical field for a reason. YES, listen to your Mom or your Grandmother. Somehow she managed to get you grown without KILLING you so she must have done something right! YES, listen to well meaning advice of your closest friends. BUT YOU LISTEN TO CHRIST on how to raise you child. Love your child unconditionally!

His Word is simple-
 Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
  
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

 Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

 Psalm 31:14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
Is there an "art" to being a mom?
NOT REALLY! Just be the best mom that you can be that trusts the Lord and seeks Him in all areas of life...and then my friends....you will still miss the mark of being a perfect parent! ONLY Christ can wear that LABEL!

However, sweet Kyleigh just had to rest after taking care of her baby..After all, it is tough being a mom!


 Hugs and blessings, Cindy

 

 



 








 



Comments

  1. Oh, I wish I could have read this when I was a young mom. That comparison thing can be evil. And that part about raising our child and not killing it..... I say that to our daughter when she complains about something I do with the grands!!! She somehow made it to adulthood without me killing her! LOL This is an awesome post full of wisdom. Hope you have a great day,my friend

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  2. Oh Cindy, how I love your realness! Passing this on.
    Connie Royals

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  3. What a beautiful post and so thought provoking indeed! It truly is the toughest job. I worry, I worry constantly about my boys. It's hard not to. They are both fine young men and I do believe will be wonderful husbands and Fathers some day. The greatest compliment you can get from your child is that when they have children someday they are going to raise them the same way they were raised. That is what my older son just told me a few weeks ago. It gave this Momma goose bumps. In fact, I said huh, are you sure? LOL!

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  4. I just love my Ky Ky....She is so cute=)

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  5. Great words of encouragement Cindy! I am already starting to worry about what kind of grandma I will be. I am not even close to being one! LOL!
    {{hugs}} to you my friend! Hope you have a great 4th!

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  6. Cindy,
    This is a great post!! For years I wrestled with the question was I a good enough Mother to my 2 sons because I worked full time their whole lives. That is why I chose to work night shift so i would not miss a lot of their activities and events . i just did not sleep and I really still do not sleep a lot.
    I felt bad for years because we lived in a townhouse with a little back yard and felt that they should have had a large back yard to play in if we lived in a single home development.

    I recently found out that this was all for nothing because both boys live in the Apartment complex that is right by us and has a pool and play ground and we are still surrounded by woods where they had their forts. They grew up going to the pool which is 3-10 feet every day in the summers and since there is no through traffic in the area where we live, the whole area became their playground and it was and still is very safe for children. They were able to walk to the Movies when it was still located in the mall which is also right by us. Living by a Veteran's Hospital also gave them exposure to children from every nationality, color and religion.
    Frequently , our home looked like the League of nations.
    For all those reasons, they told me that they feel they had one of the best childhoods and did not want to leave this area because of it. It made me cry. They are also very tolerant of people from different countries and do not have a prejudice bone in their bodies.
    They both worked at 15 years old, an example that both me and my husband set and they are both very hard workers and had gotten raises and advances because of their work ethics.
    I stopped worrying about what kind of Mom is was when I saw the adults that my sons turned into. I knew then that I had did a good job and I did my best.

    Thanks so much for this post and thanks for always stopping by and being such a cheerleader for my blog!!

    Hugs,
    Deb

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  7. This is a wonderful and thought provoking post! I loved reading it and reflecting on my own journey with motherhood and you are right, it certainly doesn't end at 18! Your little sweetie is precious!

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  8. Thank you for sharing this, Cindy! Yes, being a mom is such a tough job and yes, we must quit comparing to other moms. Your granddaughter is a cutie! Have a great week!

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  9. Being a mom was and still is my greatest vocation and blessing in life. I loved every season. I'd enjoy this season of being a grandmother if I were closer. Your girls are beautiful. Yes, all I ever wanted to be was a mommy. Even though there were days when I made the wrong choices and decisions, my children turned out to be beautiful successful adults. I have a grandson named Connor too. Wow! What a beautiful family. I know you are proud.

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So glad you stopped by to visit.
Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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