Today’s post is from a friend of mine. She posted it on Facebook this week and with her permission, I’m reposting it here today.
For some strange reason I don’t seem to get this thought ingrained in my brain. Or maybe it’s just stronger every time I realize it. I don’t know for sure, but I do know that motherhood continues to surprise me with its fulfillment.
Never in my life (which has been somewhat short but very full) has anything been as fulfilling as motherhood. I don’t know why that keeps surprising me. I’ve grown up knowing that this would be the best thing I could do with my life. And yet, the ins and outs of it surprise me daily. Never have I been so challenged, learned so much, or been so happy as I am as a mother.
I’m not sure I would have believed someone telling me that my heart would practically burst with happiness when my son sings songs with me or when I hear his guttural laugh as I poke his little tummy. How does something so simple give me so much joy??
Why do some people bag on parenthood so much? Do they know what they’re missing? Or have I somehow tapped into something rare??
I don’t know, but whatever it is I love it! 🙂 God sure did know what He was doing when He made His plan for us. I suppose that goes without saying.
What do you think? Is her fulfillment in motherhood rare?
Speaking for myself, I know there are many days when I don’t really feel fulfilled as a mother. And honestly, I think much of the time it’s because I get bogged down in the minutiae and the work. The two examples my friend gives here, both of enjoying time with her son, are examples of the type of times when I feel most fulfilled—when I take a step back and just let myself enjoy the moment, without stressing about the vacuuming or the blogging.
I can also see clear ways that I can improve in this area (by worrying less about those other areas!). What do you think we can do to help ourselves feel fulfilled and enjoy time with our children more?
6 replies on “Motherhood continues to surprise me with its fulfillment”
I share your friend’s sense of fulfillment in motherhood. For me, it was if I had been waiting for it all of my life (surprising, since I hadn’t planned to have children). But, like you, I tend to start worrying too much about things that will prove to be pretty trivial in the long run. Recognizing the difference between trivial and important helps me enjoy my time with my daughter more, but I have to remind myself daily!
I don’t think fulfillment in motherhood is rare. I do think recognizing it can be.
Looking past all the dirty diapers, cluttered house, squabbles and such is often a difficult task. But it can happen. It happens when my children tell me they love me, when they give me kisses, when they learn something new. You have to focus on the positive more than the negative to recognize what a great fulfillment motherhood really is.
I don’t think fulfillment in motherhood is rare. And I think the fulfillment goes hand in hand with the not-so-fulfilling moments. If every moment were great, it wouldn’t seem so great, because there wouldn’t be the bad to compare it. But when you’ve taken your son through the terrible twos and bang your head against the wall wondering when the temper tantrums will end, it makes the day he becomes a pleasant and obedient child even that much greater.
It’s a growing process. Your children grow, you grow, and the fulfillment is in the growth.
I think a lot of fulfillment is a choice. Do high achievers find fulfillment in their success or do they just want more? Like it’s been said many times…the joy is in the journey and taking one day at a time.
I’m so glad you all feel fulfilled in motherhood! I’d love to have you contribute articles on that feeling if you’re interested! (Contact me via my contact form if you’d like to guest blog here!)
I also agree that fulfillment is all of the things that you’ve mentioned–a choice, growth, perspective.
Thanks for commenting!
I was fulfilled before becoming a mother but looking back I am disgusted at how self-absorbed I was without realizing it. All of the sudden you find hundreds of minutes a day to think about and do for someone else. It didn’t take me long (moments after delivery) to realize that motherhood was what I was made for.
I have days where I feel like a domestic goddess and others where I realize at naptime that I have not yet brushed my teeth…gross. Now that he is bigger, I just have to remember to brush HIS!!!