Motherhood Requires Patience, Work and Flexibility

I have been meaning to connect with everyone here on this blog and I didn’t mean to take so long to meet you here. But let’s say that today I am inspired by circumstances (*sigh*). Before I go on, I want to express that I mean to use this space (this blogging page, that is) as an outlet to connect with you all in a special way — regardless of the topic. Yes, this is a website where you can buy soap and such; but this blog page is a place where we can connect heart to heart. It may be on any variety of topics, and today, it’s on motherhood. I look forward to reading your comments as I share my heart here today and other days!
Motherhood: It’s hard, but worthwhile. It’s difficult and wonderful too. It requires SO MUCH PATIENCE. And if you feel that’s something you don’t have (as I feel is the case with me, no doubt!), it’s a chance to improve in that area of your life. Experience is a great teacher, as they say. Patience is a virtue, as they say. Embrace everything about motherhood, and improve your personality! Haha! No doubt, you will be disappointed in yourself at times, but you will see what areas you need to work on.
Motherhood requires flexiblity. This is true of being a wife too. You have a plan for the day, and something changes — someone needs you in a way that wasn’t in your planner, or a child pees on the shower curtin that you just washed yesterday or spills food on the floor. Nope, that wasn’t in your planner. Then there is that work that most mother’s are doing these days: Educating their children at home. This requires A LOT of patience and flexibility! You were planning to read about Science to them for the next 20 minutes — but the child isn’t in the mood for this topic and starts to giggle. What do you do? Motherhood requires much love and creativity.
And on that topic of teaching our children: There are little and big life habits that we want them to have, and teaching them these also requires work. For example, it is SO much easier for me to set my son up with cartoons or computer time while I fold the laundry and put it all away. But what if I fold the laundry and have HIM put HIS laundry away? Oh, my dear friend, that is actually more work for me! I have to ask him to do it, then I have to see that he did it and put everything in the right place. Yes, after a time, it’s not so much work, because he will then do it without my lesson on HOW to do it — well, except — except if he is ignoring me or not paying attention when I announce to him that his laundry is folded and “would he please put his laundry away”. Then off to the kitchen I go to do something else and when I come back, is his laundry still there on the couch, not put away? Wouldn’t it have been easier for me to just do it myself? But then I wouldn’t be doing my son any good. Yes, the “work of Motherhood” isn’t always the things we DO for our children, but it’s the things we teach them to do for themselves too, as we try to teach them patiently.
In closing today, I’d like to leave you with this poem that I wrote. I hope it blesses you:

O dear Mother, working on your nest–

all you can give, is your very best.

Don’t worry about the things beyond your control.

Working for the Lord should be your goal.

It’s not about the house in which you dwell,

but about the souls to be cared for well.

It’s about shaping them into who they will be,

not with force, but with wisdom, knowledge and opportunity.

I hope this blog and poem was a blessing to someone.
~Shawna the Soap Maker