Moms need a minute!
It’s not selfish to care about your own personhood; it’s imperative.
Let’s be frank about how this goes. The end of the school year activities come like a windstorm and send us spinning into May, panting with nothing left. We drag ourselves into June. And these moms who manage it all are the first to celebrate the arrival of summer 🎉. Their creativity explodes with ideas for day trips, friend gatherings with themes, tasty food to eat outside on the deck, and bags stuffed with games and snacks for the beach trip.
But by August 1 (or maybe mid-July, if we are honest! 🫠), these moms are done. Ready for routine. Come August, they’re sending their kids off with yoga-style deep breathing and a minute to regroup. I am quite sure millions of moms across the nation are waving goodbye to their kids with undercover smiles on their faces…ready to have the house back in order. Or at least, partially.
You may or may not relate. And even if you are ready for routine, who doesn’t love those times with their kids…easy mornings, separation from the homework deluge, and vacation memories. The particulars of our lives, and the hard circumstances we carry, make sweeping generalizations unhelpful. As I say on repeat: Life is a swirl of joy and sorrow, mixed together like fudge ripple. One minute we feel ready and grateful for change, the next we are nostalgic for what just days ago made us say bad words in our heads 😬. The whiplash of it all, the constant back and forth between what we enjoy and what we bemoan, is a reminder that we are made from the ground…called out from the dust. Human.
And who wants to walk that exhausting tightrope of “everything has to be perfect”? Or endure the frazzle and fallout of, “Keep up appearances.” Or locate the strength to push back the waves of hardship and pretend they aren’t causing us fear?
Help me, Jesus, it’s too much.
One of my favorite demographics to work with is overly put-together tired moms. Conversations with them are honest and vulnerable. They are some of the most human people I get to work with.
My conclusion: what moms need is rather simple. Questions to help them notice their weariness, space for them to identify what they need, and permission to choose spiritually healthy living. In time, what I notice is an orientation back to the core values that blew off the countertop when the wind of chaos picked up. Mission drift is real.
It may seem backwards, but we care for our families best when we intentionally take time to regroup and revisit what matters. We provide a healthy picture of adulthood when we model out boundaries, contemplation, and meaningful vision for life.
How are you doing? What do you need? Where do you feel empty?
My Fall Counseling Special is designed for tired moms. I would love to be a voice of hope, empowerment, and freedom. From now through the end of September, I am offering three sessions for the price of two.
Click below to learn more and reach out!