Moms, You’re Doing Better Than You Think

Are you struggling with motherhood? Has your role as “mom” turned out to be more complicated than you expected?

Those are questions Lysa TerKeurst’s organization, Proverbs 31 Ministries, asked on their Facebook page. Within 24 hours, nearly 1,000 moms responded – almost all of them with a resounding “yes.”

If you’re a mom, that statistic might not surprise you. In fact, based on the results of that informal survey, there’s a good chance you feel the same way.

It’s not hard to understand why so many moms struggle. They take their responsibilities as a mother seriously. Many put a lot of pressure on themselves to be a great parent who raises great kids. A lot of them even tell themselves, “If I do everything right, my kids will turn out well. But if I do anything wrong, they’ll fail.”

Adding to that pressure are the conflicting messages that come at mothers from every side. The Internet and social media alone flood women with endless opinions about what motherhood ought to look like.

You should be a stay-at-home mom. No, you need to be a working mom. You should let your child sleep with you. You should never let your child sleep with you. Breast feeding versus formula. Cloth diapers versus store-bought diapers. And it goes on and on.

No wonder so many moms feel like they’ll never measure up to what they’ve been told a good mother ought to be.

On today and tomorrow’s broadcast, “Finding Peace in the Midst of Mommy Stress,” we’d like to come alongside you as an encouraging voice that says, “Moms, you’re doing better than you think you are.”

Our guest, author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa TerKeurst, offers this message of hope to moms everywhere: “Give yourselves a break.” Parenting isn’t as cut and dried as we often try to make it. Not only do kids have their own personality and desire for independence, but there are a host of variables beyond our control.

So settle this reality in your heart and mind once and for all: You will make mistakes as a parent. None of us wants to, but we can take comfort in knowing perfection isn’t required to be a good parent. It takes consistency, healthy boundaries, love, plenty of patience, and an abundance of God’s grace.

But even with all of that the daily grind can still be tough. If you’re overwhelmed and struggling, I invite you to speak with one of our counselors here at Focus. They’d love the opportunity to come alongside you and offer some guidance. Give them a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll tune in to your local radio station, or listen to our program online or via our free, downloadable mobile phone app. I think you’ll find our discussion informative and encouraging, and you’ll discover you’re not the only mom facing these challenges.