I struggle. I struggle often. More often than I’d like.
Do you struggle too?
I really feel that we all struggle in one way or another. It’s a part of learning. And I know I have to constantly learn to be able to grow as a mom.
As a mom I also know I don’t have to have all the answers. I also know I want the answers so I will seek them out in some way. Probably most likely learning from my own mistakes. (And yes, I may make the same mistake a hundred times before I learn!)
Struggle and learning from my own mistakes really does feel like it’s the best way for me to grow. I’m stubborn after all, I’m rebellious and I believe there are many solutions to ANY question/answer and I’m going to find one that best suits me and my family. Not yours.
I put so many expectations on myself too. I have worked from the time I could get a paper route and a babysitting job. I’ve always been able to provide for myself. Two years ago when I was laid off from my job as an interior designer my life took on a whole new adventure.
I’m happy to say it was one that I really wanted, to stay home with my kids and build a life around home. And it was no surprise when I decided to take on one of the BIGGEST jobs I’ve ever been offered, to homeschool my kids. However the no surprise isn’t because I always knew I wanted to homeschool. Rather when the questions started to arise when we started to think about what we wanted to do about school, I knew the answer and my husband agreed.
This lifestyle I chose is not perfect, and it’s certainly not easy. And I am certainly not providing for my family the way I was when we started as a family. But I’m often exhilarated on every level of my life. Even though I struggle often.
Life is hard, and it’s full of demands. From yourself, from others, even from the environment. We go from worrying about bills, to cutting out expenses, to keeping track of everything coming in and going out. And we manage a home and a family, we worry about if our children are eating enough, sleeping enough, socializing enough? We are raising our children to be like us who dream and desire and seek. We may even be taking care of others in our families who may need the extra help. Our goal is to be a good example to our children and we take on responsibilities in our own communities by helping others, making friends, and participating in making the world a better place. The list of demands and worry is HUGE, it’s often emotionally heavy and even draining.
Our heads, our hearts and our hands are constantly full.
It’s no wonder we struggle.
But it’s for a good reason. We struggle so we can learn from our mistakes and keep moving, keep doing and keep being the mom we are meant to be for our children. The mom we all seek to be.
Something I’ve learned… Don’t give up, even when you struggle. Life is beautiful and joyful when you seek beauty and joy. Learn to let go of the things you can’t control. When you learn to let go and be happy your struggles will one day become your strengths.
Oh, and another lesson learned, remember to stop judging others from the outside because we truly are all struggling in one way or another inside. Compassion is a much better route to take, we all know jealousy will only hurt us in the end.
