Mom-tastic-ness Defined

So, it seems that there are hoards of moms shouting about their opinions and "what it takes to be a good mom". There are moms who think if only they did everything better then they could be classified as a good mom, or if only they had a rainbow of talent and glowed with perfection could they admit to doing well as a mom. I admit, for a while I listened to the opinions and judged myself harshly because my kids watch too much TV, I slept Josh in his car seat for a couple months and let him have his bottle as he fell asleep. My house was rarely tidy and dinner was simple or MIA. I think Josh survived all those things and I don't think they made me a bad mom either. Don't get me wrong, any effort to be more awesome is definitely applauded and worthwhile and will support you in your continued efforts to bless your family. I would define these marks of excellence as motherhood merit badges. They aren't "necessary" but they help. Recently I earned my cloth diaper merit badge and potty training merit badge.

So what does it take to be a good mother? Well, what do you want your kids to turn out like? Me, I want my kids to be Christian in very deed. I want them to be smart, but more importantly, I want them to make wise choices for themselves. I want them to know who they are and stand strong on their happy path. So, in my opinion, what it takes to be a good mom is love. The kind of love I'm talking about is deep and ever abiding. It makes a kid strong when they are faced with temptation. It creates for the child a desire to do what is right in your sight. Things can get in the way of them realizing that love. Things like jealousy, low self esteem, anger, and being wallowed up in self pity. As a mom, I know those things might be (most likely are) ahead of me, and I intend to do all I can to clear the way and help my kids past their trials.

What does the community say it takes to be a good mother? well, many things, and I award merit badges for all of them. I had to realize that I am the expert on my children. Josh is amazing in social situations. When he watches Dora it's like he's a raging fan at a Beatles concert. yelling, jumping, very involved, dancing and guess what? learning. So, one mom might realize that her kids aren't doing well with TV and eliminate it. For me and my kids, it works. Moms are unique and their kids need those things that make their mom special. Me- I'm an uber-praiser and I get super excited about everything, I love making food, I love my faith, and I am entirely optimistic.

The pearl of wisdom I'm trying to display here is, You can't focus on what you're not or you'll never become what you want to be. If you want to motivate yourself, start telling yourself you're a good mom and love your kids. Loving them will motivate you more than a hoard of judgmental moms. Feel free to try things that you think are amazing, but if it's not your thing, let go of it and find something you enjoy. Find your sparkle and let it shine. You can't do that while dissing on yourself (or anyone else for that matter). We aren't a totem pole of moms, we're a sisterhood. We support each other and we don't stack each other up. So I'll leave you with that. You, my friend, are mom-tastic. (or femme-tasic they are interchangeable- as all women are endowed with the power to nurture if they so chose to use it).