The 10 Myths of Motherhood

It’s never been easy to be a mom, but social media is pressuring them in unique ways. Women are inundated with radically different ideas about what it means to be a mom. The image of perfection is everywhere.

But that’s all it is: a picture.

There’s no picture-perfect mom, and that’s a good thing. There’s no such thing as the picture-perfect dad, either. We’re all falling short. God’s grace is what brings us through, not our perfection.

With Mother’s Day this weekend, I want to encourage you, mom, if this year you’re feeling like you just don’t measure up. I want to help you think differently about motherhood, to help you remember the beauty of it if the load on your shoulders has blurred some of the image.

We’ve got a couple of moms on our broadcast today and tomorrow that know a lot about what you’re going through. They’ve struggled with that emotional chasm between who you are versus who you think you’re supposed to be. They’ll be talking with me about 10 myths of motherhood that stand between you and peace of mind as a mom:

Mothering is natural, easy and instinctive
The way I mother is the right and only way
I am just a mom
Motherhood is all-consuming and all-fulfilling
A good mother can do it all, all at once
Motherhood is a rat race
Motherhood is luck of the draw
Everything depends on me
I have to do it all right or my child will turn out wrong
My child’s bad choice means I’m a bad mom

All it takes is one of those myths to make your daily responsibilities a heavy burden to bear. Some moms struggle with several.

The culture has lifted women to better equality but has trampled motherhood in many ways. If you don’t have a title behind your name or have an “important” job, then you’ve somehow missed your calling. You’re not contributing something positive to society. I want to encourage you that the most important thing any human being can do is to raise the next generation.

Karen Ehman is a popular speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries and has three older children. Ruth Schwenk is known for her Better Mom and For the Family websites and has four children. They’ll do some myth-busting and address common fears, worries, and false ideas about motherhood on “Liberating Yourself from the Common Myths of Motherhood.” You can hear the program on your local radio station, online, or on our free phone app. Join us, won’t you?

Also, find Karen and Ruth’s book Hoodwinked: Ten Myths Moms Believe and Why We All Need to Knock It Off and other helpful resources in our online bookstore.