I have been reading the posts about what we are "expected" to be. First off, I want to point out that I am not an LDS member. I say this only because I just want you all to realize that as a woman, mother, wife, etc., I am no different. I have been working on a Bible study with several other women in my church that focuses on the Proverbs 31 woman. Before I began this study I thought that in order for me to be "right" I had to do everything she did all of the time. This is so NOT true! Yes, she purchased a field, she made her clothes (and very beautiful I might add), she was involved in charities, she was never idle, blah, blah, blah! But one thing that stands out to me is that she feared the Lord. Not a fear that means "AHHH I am so scared!" but reverence. No where in this passage does it say that she did all of these things daily! The most important thing in her life was her relationship with her Lord, her Heavenly Father.
As women, whether we work outside the home or work inside the home (that includes raising children, cleaning house, keeping our sanity), we need to remember that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made!" Each of us have different "seasons" in our life. My season right now is trying to juggle working, keeping my home happy, and guiding my strong-willed 3 year old daughter into the woman that God intends her to be. Your seasons are different than mine. But we were all made by a God that makes only glorious creations! OK...my point? This is what God has placed in our path for right now. In a year or two it may change, but for now, we get to watch our children go through potty training, runny noses, food in the hair, and poo on the walls. All the while being thankful that they are creative, curious, loving, and energetic. We are so blessed as mothers!
The Six "Be's"- Gordon B. Hinckley
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Woman GOD expects me to be.
Posted by Micha at 8:07 PM
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6 comments:
Thank you for sharing that! It is so true! We are all in different seasons in our lives and we need to do our best to enjoy the season we are in. I've never heard a mother say that she wished she hadn't loved her children so much or wished that she hadn't tried to be a good person. But, there are many who regret those wasted times when they didn't just enjoy where they were in life.
So profoundly said. I really appreciate this post for a number of reasons. I think as LDS women we tend to think we are on another level of expectation, where we are really all the same...mothers just trying to make it through one more day! In reality, that expectation is one we made up ourselves, and we will NEVER live up to it. We are ALL daughters of a loving God, and our Father in Heaven only wants the best for us. We are all too hard on ourselves. With all that being said, has anyone mastered the CEO of your home, yet? I was a store manager before, and I was almost OCD with store cleanliness and daily operations. I cannot for the life of me implement this in my home. I cannot seem to balance the potty training, runny noses, poop on the walls etc etc etc! Anyone mastered this and have a plan you can share?
I think being the "CEO" of your home has to be taken in stages, depending on the ages of your children. I remember many times where I wasn't showered until the afternoon when my girls were babies. Obviously, that's not a problem now. But, it certainly used to be. You know I'm OCD about many things and my house is one of them. I'm not as bad as I used to be, though. One thing that I did when my girls were babies was to clean up any toys that were out while they were taking a nap. Then, the house would get messy again until they went to bed for the night. At which point I would again pick up the mess. At least that way I started everyday with a fairly clean house. Now that they are older, I have them pick up all their toys at the end of the day before they go to bed. They don't like it, but at least there is some order to the house the next morning. Also, when they're old enough to understand, you can tell them they can only have one toy, game, etc out at a time if they are in the living room (or other common areas of the house). Bedroom are a different deal altogether. Those are destined to be messy, I think. I've found that if I don't let them totally fill the living room with toys then I'm not bothered so much by the mess in their bedrooms. At least I don't have to look at their bedrooms all the time and try to step over dolls, etc. in my living room. That drives me crazy! I don't know if this helps or not. I guess with all my rambling what I'm really trying to say is that if you will take about 15-20 minutes at the end of everyday (or before their nap) and help them pick up their stuff, then it doesn't pile up so bad to the point where you don't even know where to start.
Also, remember that unlike your employees, your children know that you will love them runny noses and all, so there's not as much incentive for them to comply to your rules. They don't get a paycheck and they won't get fired and they know it. Then again, you can't get fired either, so there's less incentive for you as well. Thankfully, the messy diapers and runny noses don't last forever. They will grow up more quickly than you anticipate.
PS If potty-training, ignore all previous advice and know that your life will revolve around said potty-training for at least a week (maybe more). LOL
I just realized how ridiculous this is--I'm typing a message to you when I could just give you a call! Sometimes I just get lazy. ;)
Well, considering I never called you back after I saw you called the other day, and I didn't even call my niece on her 12th bday! How bad am I???
I stopped by through Daily Scoop and I'm glad I did! I LOVE THIS SITE! I'm going to add it as a resource on my kidz site unless I hear any objections from you. Kudos on your efforts and the purpose of your blog. KUDOS!
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