This past weekend my three-year-old had an awesome birthday party. I was super nervous because he has one of the worst birthdates for planning fun parties. I feel like he is too young to spend a fortune on a venue such as a trampoline park, and anything related to the outdoors is totally out of the question. So we planned a dinosaur party with as much sensory play as we could come up with (that’s another post for another day). And then, I almost felt guilty. As though I had done something wrong by having fun and planning a super fun birthday party for my son. I found myself wary of sharing pictures from his party because I didn’t want to be “that over the top Pinterest mom.”
An Instagram account that I follow @simplyonpurpose did a campaign a few months back called the, “I am This Kind of Mom” campaign. The campaign emphasized celebrating our strengths as mothers, and it has really stuck with me. I think far too often we have a tendency to put down other moms that excel in areas that we don’t personally excel in, and then on the same token focus on all of the skills that we don’t have as a mom instead of celebrating the areas that God has gifted us in. How much could we encourage each other if we just celebrated the strengths of the moms around us? And not only that, but embraced the gifts that God has given us to the fullest while acknowledging our weaknesses, but not letting them define us.
I am not the type of mom that gets up before her kids do making sure I have set a good tone for my day. I am definitely not the type of mom that you can drop in on with a moments notice, because my house is almost always a total mess. I am not the type of mom that refrains from using words like “fart” and “butt” in front of her children. In fact, my son has used the word “freakin'” and “sucks” more times than I would like to admit (It’s a good thing that is the extent of the words that come out of my mouth because I have no filter in front of him). I am not the type of mom that has her kids on a strict schedule or ever gets her kids to bed on time at night. I am not the type of mom that is always fixed up in public.
I am not that type of mom. But that’s okay.
Because I am the type of mom that uses every opportunity to teach her sons about Jesus and helping those that need help. And I am the type of mom that seeks to remove toxins from her home and give her boys the best start possible. I am the type of mom that says I’m sorry when she messes up. I am the type of mom that values play and ensures that her home is a place that fosters imagination. I am the type of mom that after realizing her own attachment issues, fights every single day for secure attachment with her boys. I am the type of mom that loves adventuring and exploring with her boys. I am the type of mom that uses her love of planning to plan hands-on-learning activities and birthday parties and adventures for her kids.
This is my version of Motherhood, and it is worth celebrating.
What type of mom are you? I encourage you to take some time this week to celebrate the things that you excel at as a mom. Thank God for the gifts that He saw fit to equip you with. Then, comment on this blog so we can celebrate each other together. We truly are better together, celebrating motherhood with one another.
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