Juggling the Balls of Motherhood

    
     Starting with Freud, mothers began to get a bum rap. We were the cause of all stress and distress in our kids. Although we now know there are countless reasons children unfold as they do, "mother bashing" still happens- we especially do it ourselves. We have an internal litany of failures, "I shouldn't work....I should always be understanding....I should be more lenient, or less lenient..." On and on we go against ourselves.
     In fact, it is very difficult to juggle motherhood and all the other facets of our lives. We aren't going to do a perfect job. But we will be much better mothers when we learn to congratulate ourselves for our strength and resourcefulness rather than criticize ourselves for our real, or imagined, shortcomings.
     Take a moment and write down your job description as a mother. What is expected of you? What myriad of chores and responsibilities do you handle each day? Pretty amazing, right? Making it a habit to congratulate yourself for the things you do well empowers you to do more things even better than before.
     We all thrive in an atmosphere of inner support and wither under criticism. Being a mother is a difficult and delightful job. Let's give ourselves credit!
     "I am strong and resourceful mother.I like my mothering abilities. I forgive myself for the times I've parented poorly."