Tag Archives: motherhood

Motherhood Dreams

Many of us are initiated into the world of what I call “motherhood dreams” when we are expecting—whether during pregnancy or anticipating and waiting for an adoption, I think our subconscious starts to work on parenting and motherhood issues before our child even arrives. After nearly two decades of being a mom, I still find that many of my motherhood issues, fears, and anxieties get wrestled with in my sleeping dream life… While I have had some lovely motherhood dreams, many of them are wrought with anxiety and worry about one or more of my kids. It has been strange … Continue reading →

A Memory Chip

It was Christmas Eve, and I was cooking a special meal for the family. Outside, a blizzard had just quieted to a few wandering flakes. A thick blanket of snow hushed all the early evening sounds. I checked the turkey in the oven and then went outside to marvel at how beautiful and peaceful it all was. Stars. Snow. I walked down the steps of our porch, across the yard. Then suddenly, I allowed myself to fall backward and make a snow angel. I wondered how old I was the last time I made one. Probably eight or ten. Then … Continue reading →

“I Thought You Were Everybody’s Mother”

My eldest daughter was teasing me. I was complaining that while my middle child, my other daughter, has rescued a kitten and brought it into our family fold—claiming that it was HER kitten and she would do all the care and work, the little wild one usually turns to me for food, reassurance, and sneaks into my bed at night. I was staunchly declaring that I was “not his mother!” when my daughter put an arm around me and said, “I thought you were everybody’s mother.” Well, no, but there are definitely days when it seems that way! I never … Continue reading →

Forty Reasons to Have Children

A French woman by the name of Corinne Maier has recently published a book in which she lists forty reasons why no one should ever have children. A mother of two herself, she says that she really regrets having children, and resents how she became a traveling baby bottle, how she lost her friends, and how the pain of childbirth is torture. She is a strong advocate for women to remove themselves from the traditional “soccer mom” role (yes, there is an equivalent to this expression in French) and to think of themselves, their figures, and their romantic lives first. … Continue reading →

Why Is It So Hard to Be a Mother?

Ever since watching Sister Julie B. Beck’s phenomenal conference address at the women’s portion of General Conference last week, I have been inspired to try harder to be the kind of mother she spoke of. I made up new job charts for my children and have stuck to enforcing them. I have recommitted myself to menus and to housework. I have tried to read my scriptures and pray more regularly. I have cut down the amount of television time. And it’s been one of the hardest weeks of my life. The opposition has come in full force and tried to … Continue reading →

One Mom, One Son

I am the single mom of three–but only one of my children is a boy. My son is decidedly out-numbered by females in our little family, and it has always been that way. Even when he was very young and his father and I were still married, his father was gone so much that I was always the primary and most present parent. He does get to spend some time with his dad, but his dad still spends most of his time working or away from home so even though he has a father and a male role model, it … Continue reading →

Some Days I Don’t Want to Do Anything Either!

I often think that the only difference between my kids and myself is the fact that I HAVE to get up and go to work and be responsible and they don’t. Of course, if you were to ask them, they would think that I have all the choices they don’t have, and here I am looking at them and thinking they have all the choices that I don’t have. Recently, I was debating this fact with a friend–a childless person who maintains that it is much harder to be an adult and that teenagers get cut a lot of slack. … Continue reading →

Who Is Supporting Whom?

My kids don’t know it, but I get almost as much support from them as they get from me. I’m not talking about a role reversal where I expect my kids to tend to my emotional needs or look after me or parent themselves–I’m just talking about the fact that having a family to care for and tend to gives me guidance and support in ways I might not otherwise have. Looking after a family has a way of holding me up… My kids have the ability to take me out of my head and away from my worries and … Continue reading →

Relief Society: Making Time for You

One important thing that we need to do is make time for ourselves. When you are a wife and a mom it is difficult to make sure that your needs are being met. Women are often too hard on themselves. It is easy to become overwhelmed by all that you feel needs to be done. It is important that you meet your needs as well. Here are five tips to help you meet your spiritual, emotional and physical needs. 1) Take time each day to pray and study the scriptures. You need to set aside time for you to nourish … Continue reading →

Being Mom in a New Moon Phase

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Moms go through phases just like the moon. Today I’m in a “new moon” phase, where everything is dark and I’m waiting for enlightenment, change, and the ability to somehow start over again. I’ve reached a point with my ten-year-old stepdaughter where I know I need help. I feel myself unraveling and I recognize that I’ve lost my equilibrium. Maybe I just need a break. Maybe I need a mini-vacation where I turn this child temporarily over to the total care and control of her father—just until I can get my bearings again. This morning there was another argument. She … Continue reading →