Today’s #MommyMonday is a very special one. It is celebrating you! It is also celebrating me! Heck it’s celebrating every mom out there. It’s a reminder that just because I choose to showcase one mom doesn’t mean that I think she is doing better than the rest.
I started this feature because I know sometimes it feels good to be told that I’m doing a good job. As my daughter’s only parent I often get overwhelmed and think I am not doing a good enough job. Is this only because I’m a single mom, independent mom, only parent or any other way you want to phrase it? Nope, I don’t think so. I know a lot of other moms. Single, married, adopted, foster, auntiemommy or any other version that don’t think they quite have it together meanwhile I am green with envy over (insert random thing their child has mastered that my child hasn’t).
Motherhood is the most amazing gift God can ever bless us with but that doesn’t make it easy. I question almost every single moment of my parenting and I’m betting you do too! If you don’t please leave your secrets in the comments. What I have figured out so far is that if God didn’t think I was ready He would not have trusted me with the care of my daughter. What I have come to realize is that my daughter doesn’t care if she has the toy from Family Dollar or the toy from FAO Schwarz as long as she gets to play with it. What I have noticed is that it doesn’t matter if I cook a Pinterest meal to perfection or throw some chicken nuggets in the oven, Minime probably won’t eat much of either if we don’t sit at the tea party table together.
I want to give my daughter the world. I want her to know she can be and do anything. I want to protect her from every hurt in the universe but the truth is I can’t and I won’t. All I can do is be a woman that she can love and respect. All I can do is arm her with the truth and provide a foundation that is solid in values and beliefs that I feel will help her to be the best version of herself. I can’t stop her from falling any more than my mother was able to stop me.
I am not perfect and guess what mama…neither are you! And that is okay. In fact, that is what should be celebrated. It is our imperfections that make us the women we are. It is in our imperfections that we learn. It is in our imperfections that we show our children it is okay to laugh.
Today I celebrate us all. Next Monday I will be back to celebrating just one of you but please know that the rest are never forgotten. I love and admire you all. Much more than you will ever know.
