All They Need Is Love
I have two best mom friends—one is a minimalist that prefers monochromatic toys and her kid’s closet looks like a tiny Banana Republic. The other has a huge blue and red slide in her living room, almost every outfit her kids wear features their favorite character, and her home is filled with toys of every shape and color. Both of these women are amazing mommas. They love me fiercely though every sent photo, stupid question, and missed text response. These two are a major reason why I have survived the first two years of motherhood.
My relationships and conversations with these women has made something very clear to me—all moms are just doing the best they can. One of us breastfeeds, one bottle feeds, and one does a combination of both. One is a stay-at-home mom, one works outside the home, and one works from home. We all use different diaper brands, bought different car seats, and have different bedtime routines. There is no “right” way to parent. Sometimes sleep training doesn’t work—despite articles and social media ads assuring you this program is foolproof. Some babies won’t latch. Others won’t take a bottle. Your kids aren’t going to care what brand of diapers you used or if the toys they played with were on a “best of” list. What they will care about is how well you loved them!
They will know the safety they felt when you rocked them back to sleep (even for the fifteenth time because they just couldn’t get comfortable). They will seek out the comfort of your embrace after a skinned knee. They will always remember they have someone in their corner cheering them on. They will feel the overwhelming love you show them every single day.
It also reminds me what a gracious God we serve. The Lord allows us to make choices and loves us despite our imperfections. He is the one who will be near to us when our worry keeps us up at night. He welcome us into His arms when we are hurting. He shows us incredible, overwhelming, reckless love each and every day.
Mom guilt, peer judgement, and feelings of inadequacy are lurking around every corner but, in just a few years of experience being a parent, I have realized that there is not one right way to parent. For most of us, we are simply doing our best—and that is good enough! Be encouraged that the Lord sees you and is in your corner cheering you on each and every day. As long as you are loving your littles through the craziness, and looking to the Lord for guidance, you are doing an amazing job. So whether your playroom is neatly organized or is in beautiful chaos, your kiddo wears Bluey or Baby Gap, I see you, God sees you, and—most notably—your kids see you. And they feel your unconditional love each and every moment.