One of the most common pieces of advice I get as a new mother is, “Enjoy every moment because it goes so fast!” While I don’t see anything wrong with that advice, I have to confess that I don’t enjoy every moment. How can I enjoy sleepless nights, endless laundry, teething, that dreaded Wonder Week 19 (that lasted for longer than a week, mind you), the four-month sleep regression, spit-up, food thrown on the floor…? You can pretty much fill in the blank with any complaint about motherhood as moments that aren’t enjoyable.
“So, do you enjoy being a mother?” You might ask. Yes I do. It’s taken a different mindset to get there since there are definitely days that I don’t enjoy. I read somewhere recently that enjoying every moment isn’t realistic. Instead, I should enjoy the season of motherhood that I’m in.
In November, I challenged myself to be thankful for 1 thing every day for 30 days. Somehow, God used that challenge to teach me about enjoying the season I’m in, and not get disappointed when I don’t enjoy every moment. It’s taken me awhile to adjust to this mindset. It’s a blessing because through it, God has given me the freedom to enjoy this season of being the mother of a baby and only having one child.
What am I enjoying about this season of motherhood? Watching my son explore, seeing him grow stronger and get closer to crawling every day, his curiosity (even though it gets him in trouble sometimes), his affection towards his stuffed animals, the joy on his face when he sees his Daddy… and many more things.
I love my job as a Mummy… :)
Oh, such a good post, Chrysti! I too love motherhood but not every moment. And yet as I look at someone behind me in the journey I feel the need to remind them of the sweetness they have. Of course generally within 20 minutes of crying because things seem overwhelming with two preschoolers and a newborn I then find myself crying because that newborn is just so beautiful and falls asleep while I nurse her or that toddler says those words with such an adorable lisp or that preschooler sees the world in such a beautiful way… and because I love that husband of mine just so much too. Oh, I’m gushing now, but good post :)