Mommy Dearest

On any given day my thoughts go something like this:
Are my kids eating right? Watching too much TV? Getting enough culture? Getting a good enough education? Will they go to college? Will they marry? Will they have kids? Is my son developing on track? Is my daughter making the right friends? Is my baby girl growing up too fast because of her siblings? Am I disciplining my children correctly? Often enough? Too often? Should I change the music the kids listen to? Do the kids have enough clothes? Do the kids not have enough clothes? Are the shows on TV hurting them psychologically? Am I hurting them psychologically? Are they going to be in therapy because of their childhood? Am I going to be in therapy because of their childhood?..........

This goes on and on and on, in my head, it is not healthy.

Does anyone else have this mom they want to be but never quite are? We all know this woman I'll call her super-bitch ...er....mom....supermom. She selflessly gives her life to her children. Drives all the carpools, has all the friends over to her house (and they love her), has been homeroom mom for every class her children have ever been in, always brings drinks to the ball park....for everyone. When you go to her house it is always clean (no matter the time of day), and the TV is never on. When your kids go to sleepovers at her house they come home (reluctantly) and tell you that she built a fort with them, did a craft with them and let them cook, she never yelled and had breakfast ready when they woke up!! This woman must have her make-up tattood on becuase she's never been seen not wearing any and the pants she wears over her sorry size six ass are never wrinkled!!

Needless to say I am not this woman. I definately yell, I can be caught regularly without make-up, I try not to iron if I can help it, I am a terrible house keeper and my mothering skills.....well that's something I'm just not sure about. I am NOT supermom. I do love my children. I also yell at them some, get sick of them, pray for bedtime to arrive, and sometimes (okay regularly) say NO to things without any real reason. But according to the crazy thoughts that run a constant threat on my sanity, I think about my kids, their wellbeing and their future all the time. I think this at least makes me a loving mom. As I was pondering these things I found something I wrote several years ago. I must have been having a wonder-if-I'm-a-good-mom day:


There are no great mothers.
There are no great heros.
No perfect supermoms who never lose their temper or have a bad hair day.
There are no great women who manage to balance life perfectly.
No moms who never break down, cry, or even scream.
There are no great days.
Days that go perfectly without a catch or glitch.
There are no perfect houses.
There is always a dirty corner hiding somewhere.
No, there are no perfect mothers, just a perfect Christ who can do amazing things through the available.


I am going to keep worrying about my kids, and being available to my kids. I'm also going to pray that their future Therapists' are mom's too.