As a mom it is so easy to pile on the guilt about what we have done wrong or have failed to do all together. My Mom gave me a book called "Motherhood: The Guilt that Keeps on Giving" by Julie Ann Barnhill. In the preface she gives an assignment to all mothers prior to reading the rest of the book. The assignment is to make a list of as many things as you can think of that you refuse to feel guilty about as a mom. I haven't filled out my list in the book yet, but my mind has been going back to this list for days now. It was such a refreshing thing for me to be able to think of some of the things that I feel good about as a Mom. I thought maybe it was time to write that list down. Maybe some of you tired Moms out there would benefit from doing this too?
SO... here goes....
As a Mother I refuse to feel guilty for.......
1. Letting my little girls scream as much as they want when we are playing ... OUTSIDE.
2. Teaching my children to respect others by answering when someone speaks to them.
3. Disciplining my children in whatever way Dan and I see fit, ie. spankings, time-outs, loss of
priviledge.
4. NEVER withholding love from my children, even through discipline.
5. Expecting first time obedience from my children.
6. Reading to my children LOTS.
7. Making my relationship with the Lord and then my husband a priority over them.
8. Teaching my children to respect authority.
9. Allowing my children to watch an hour or TWO of TV every day.
10. Putting my children to bed at 7:30 so I can enjoy some time with their father.
11. Allowing my babies to cry themselves to sleep.
12. Putting my children on a schedule that promotes a schedule that works best for Dan and I
and our lifestyle.
13. Telling my children about Jesus' love and reading from the Bible.
14. Trying my best to imitate Christ for the little eyes that are watching me CONSTANTLY.
15. Saying sorry when I fail to imitate Christ before those little eyes.
16. Hugging and kissing my little ones as much as they will let me!
17. Allowing myself to be silly and play with my girls.
18. Putting off the dishes if my girls want to spend some time with me.
Well, that's just for starters. I have plenty to feel guilty for, believe me, but today I want to focus on the things that I feel confident about.
2 comments:
Oh, I just love this one!!! I think I will have to go and get that book! I carry guilt around for things that I shouldn't all the time!!! Thank you for blogging about this! I'm going to go and look for it online right now!
What a wonderful idea...I tend to carry around my mental list of things to be guilty for all the time; what a nice change it would be to have a ready list of positives when the momma blues hit!
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