This is Your Life: Finding Contentment in Motherhood
At night, before I go to bed, I slip into my little boys’ room and check on them one last time. I tuck their covers up under their chins, kiss their cheeks and whisper how much I love them. Then, I tiptoe out and close the door behind me. Sometimes I can’t help but pause outside their door, and realize, “This is my life.”
You see, I come from a broken home. All I ever wanted to do was to have a happy home of my own, even though I didn’t always know exactly what that meant. I wanted to have a good marriage, and be a mama that stayed home with my babies. I could see myself kissing my husband off to work, spending the days with my kids, baking cookies, making projects, laughing, playing, making dinner for my family at night, and spending time together in the evenings. While that’s a bit unrealistic, I have had so many of my childhood dreams come true.
It’s easy to focus on the hard times in motherhood, and, oh, there are a lot of them! But, there are so many wonderful times, too! Even on the days when I get frustrated or angry, when it seems like we go around in circles all day, when Jason throws his cup in the floor five times…I get to be their mommy.
Yes, I have to do things like mop the floors, scrub the stove and clean the bathroom. But, I get to do things like have tickle fights, play Candy Land and Uno, snuggle on the couch, and wrestle in our beds. And my house is full of dandelions nearly year-round. There is no shortage of screaming, giggles, laughter and love.
This is my life.
I can remember a time when I thought I’d never get married, never be a mom. I shed a lot of tears, and prayed a lot of prayers. Now, here I am, literally living my dreams.
See also: How to Stop Striving for Perfection in Motherhood
It’s easy to become dissatisfied in our lives. Things don’t always turn out like we hoped. We imagine a life that’s perfect, with no struggles, sickness or pain. But, the reality is that life is full of heartache. It’s full of things that we don’t like, that we don’t wish for. Those are the things that make us stronger, and turn us into the women we are meant to be.
Life is never perfect. There will always be struggles and battles to fight. I will probably always want a little more than I have right now. But I never want to forget the dreams of my childhood and teen years, because that girl is already living her dreams every day.
Mama, this is your life. Whatever life you have right now. Maybe it’s not all that you hoped, maybe it is. I encourage you today to look at the happy parts. Forget the hard parts for a minute. This is your life. And life is what you make of it. If you are truly unhappy about something, change it. But, don’t let yourself live in a constant funk of discontentment. Learn to find the good. Find it in snuggles, cookies, kisses and hugs. Hold on to those sweet moments, and let the bitter ones go.
This is your life. Live it fully.
