Motherhood has a funny way of humbling our souls. It’s when we begin to notice pieces of us through our children. This time can be filled with so many emotions; joy, frustration, and fear, just to name a few. Over the past year, being a mom has taught me so many things and I’m excited to share them with you.
I hope that by sharing this list of lessons from my first year of being a mama, you would begin to look for the beauty in this season. I believe that God has called us to be mothers to not only raise children for His good but to grow us closer to Him.
Of course, what I’m about to share is mostly the good side to motherhood and I want you to know that if you haven’t experienced this yet, it’s okay. Your story is meant to be different. No two mamas will learn the same life lessons. God is using this journey to shape you, your family, and those around you.
Alrighty, let’s get into the lessons I’ve learned from being a mama!
12 Things Being a Mom Has Taught me
No matter how long you’ve been a mom, you are learning, growing, and changing through this messy season. It’s a time to roll with the punches and let the Lord do His work.
When we take the time to reflect on what we’ve learned, we can get a better understanding of what God is doing. I find myself letting go and trusting Him more, too! With that being said, here are all the things being a mom has taught me.
1. I’m strong
After I gave birth to my daughter, I felt invincible. Not only did I just spend nine months nurturing this sweet baby, but I delivered her 100% naturally. Yes, that means no epidural. I was pretty proud of myself, to say the least.
Then my daughter was sent to the NICU and I had to find strength and courage, that I didn’t even know I had. This week of driving an hour back and forth every day, pumping every three hours, and just dealing with the unknowns. I look back and see that God was using this to strengthen me and to show me with Him I am strong.
2. Everything Will Pass
In the thick of the four-month sleep regression, I truly thought it would never end. I remember crying to my husband that our daughter would never sleep in her own crib and would never sleep more than 30 minutes. Looking back, this season was LONG. It was hard. It was exhausting. But, it passed.
I’m constantly reminding myself in all of life’s tough moments, that this too shall pass. Nothing is forever. It might feel like it’s never going to end, but everything (whether good or bad) does come to a close eventually.
3. Hang on to the Little Moments
If you’ve been around my blog for a bit, you know I love the little moments. These are the moments that would otherwise go unnoticed. Like, when my daughter was a newborn and I would just watch her sleep. Or, when my daughter is playing on the floor with her toys and she is cooing and babbling.
I just sit there and watch. I sit there and listen. I sit there and just soak it in.
4. How I look DOESN’T matter
My FAVORITE time of the day is when I get my daughter up in the morning. She comes into our bed and snuggles for a few minutes before the day starts. Oh, how her little smile makes me SO happy.
Pre-mama Alexis would have hurried into the bathroom to look presentable. But you know what, my daughter and my husband absolutely don’t care that I have bed-head and that I don’t have my eyebrows done. We are all just enjoying each others company.
5. I NEED Christ
Before having a baby, I thought I needed God. Through the ups and downs of anxiety, I would cling to Him and feel like I couldn’t live without Him. Adding a kiddo to the mix made me realize I NEED CHRIST.. every second.. of every day.
When you become a mom you worry about your children and quickly realize you don’t have control over much. Your only option is to lean into Christ and trust that He is watching over your family.
If you are struggle to spend time with the Lord, I totally get it. Being a mom is hard and exhausting. Let’s be honest, spending time with Him is the last thing we want to do… but it’s what our SOUL NEEDS!
Check out my Busy Moms Devotional. This will help you get back into the word and enjoy your time with Him, again…. even when you feel tired and busy!
6. I can’t be Perfect
Even just writing the words I can’t be perfect is hard. After realizing I NEED Christ, I began to understand that this meant I wouldn’t and couldn’t be perfect.
I can do my best and that is good enough.
Go back and read that again.
Motherhood is about trying your best. It’s showing your kids how to recover from your mistakes. You don’t need to walk through life perfectly, but instead showing resiliency through the tough moments will teach them more than you know.
7. What I do matters
I can’t believe how fast my daughter learns. I’m telling you, children are sponges. It’s scary sometimes!
But, I’ve learned that what we do (aka our actions) matter. How we treat others, how we love ourselves, and even our habits are teaching them how to live. It’s important to be mindful of this.
For me, I needed to get a hold of the way I looked at food. I didn’t want my daughter growing up afraid to eat a cupcake. Instead, I wanted her to see me enjoy these foods while focusing on being healthy versus a number on the scale.
8. Just Love
At the end of the day, our children just need to be loved. I actually wrote an entire blog post on how to be a loving mother, so you can check that out if you are interested. But, my husband always says, “just be love, Lex.”
Our children don’t need Pinterest perfect cupcakes or for us to be 100% engaged with them all day long, they simply need us to just love them.
9. Give Yourself Grace
Oh mama, we all deserve a little grace. It surprised me how hard I could be on myself. I’ll never forget when my daughter rolled off the couch. I couldn’t stop blaming myself. She was just fine, it was nothing more than a bump on the head. But you would have thought it was the WORST thing I’ve ever done.
If being a mom has taught me anything, it’s to give yourself grace. Even if you feel like you can’t, I promise you that God already has.
10. What God’s love is like
It wasn’t until I had to leave the NICU without my daughter, that I realized the magnitude of God’s love. This gut-wrenching feeling that overcame my body as I left that hospital room was the best description of unconditional love. In that moment, I realized the intensity of it.
When you just look at your child, you begin to know and feel God’s, unconditional love.
11. Most things aren’t important
It’s crazy how fast time flies! I feel like I just went to the hospital a couple of months ago. It still shocks me when I say “I have a one-year-old.”
With that being said, all these moments with my daughter, I won’t get back. The laundry will be there. The emails will be there. The errands will too. But, this time with my family is sacred. We don’t know what our lives will look like in the future, so we need to savor these precious moments because we won’t ever get them back.
12. Actions mean more than Words
I can tell her what is right and wrong, but ultimately kids learn from our example. Our actions matter.
Just the other day, I sat in the living room putting on my sandals before leaving for date night with my husband. When we got home I took off my shoes and when I turned around, there was my daughter putting her little foot inside of it. I realized how closely she had been watching me…. Even when I thought she was too preoccupied!
Some Other Thoughts…
We were ALL called to be mothers. Each of us will walk a different road, but ultimately what we learn about ourselves along the way is what really matters. I hope that reading what being a mom has taught me inspires you to look at your journey in a different light. No matter how long you’ve been a mama, God is growing and shaping you to be the woman He created.
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