When Motherhood Becomes Hard

No matter how much we love our children, motherhood at times is just plain hard. From the sleepless nights when our precious babies are new to the world, to the tough issues that we tackle with our young adults, being a mom is no easy feat. What can we do during those hard times in order to stay positive and maintain a healthy relationship with our children?

Although I believe that each individual situation is unique, I do believe that there are always some surefire ways that will work across the board to lift your spirits on those hard days no matter what your situation is. I want to share with you what I do to get through the rough patches that motherhood brings along every now and then.

Pray.

It is imperative that we pray for ourselves and our children during times when their is a strain within the relationship. I cannot count the times that prayer has pulled me out of a hard time into a time of peace and restoration. And while it is an easy thing to say, it isn't always easily done, right? I pray often, but in times when motherhood is presenting challenges, I have to fight the temptation to give in to my emotions, and make sure I pray first before anything else. If you are stuck and not sure what to pray, there are so many wonderful books on prayer to help you out.

Have an accountability partner.

This alone has saved my relationship with my children more times than they'll ever know. When my husband is home and not away on deployment or training, he is my first accountability partner. He always helps build me up when I am feeling like a horrible failure of a mother. I also have a few close girlfriends that help keep me in line when ever I am tempted to throw in the towel due to a hard motherhood day. Without these valuable sounding boards in my life, I don't know if I could have successfully made it this far in my motherhood journey.

Forgive yourself.

This was something that I used to struggle with when I was a new mom over 13+ years ago. I would beat myself up over every mistake I made and feel guilty for days on end. However, God taught me that the free gift of salvation would be in vain if I was not receiving and practicing His forgiveness. Not only towards others, but also forgiving myself. I am so glad that I made the choice to obey and forgive myself for the mistakes that I make (and will make in the future) on my beautiful motherhood journey.

Laugh and cry.

Yes, both. Both laughing and crying are good for your motherhood journey. When times get rough, releasing your emotions is crucial. Be sure to cry if you need to cry, and laugh when you need to laugh. Never hold back on either if you are having a hard motherhood day and you will feel better, I promise!

Even though motherhood can be hard, there are many ways to keep our perspective in the right place. For me this occurs through prayer, accountability, forgiveness, laughing, and crying. I pray that you will find what helps you in the midst of those rough days and bounce right back and see motherhood for what it is -- beautiful!

Much love to you dear friend,