Young motherhood, with its challenges and difficulties, finds a lot of good company. On Pinterest, Facebook, and mom blogs, you can find plenty of people to commiserate with and advice to guide you (or frustrate you, perhaps). This all goes to show that motherhood can be painful. We don’t get a lot of sleep, we’re at someone’s beck and call 24/7, and we don’t even get paid for it! 😉 The thing I’d like to propose about motherhood and its inherent challenges, though, is that perhaps the pain of it all doesn’t necessarily need fixing.
This pain has its place, I believe. The daily challenges that are so hard teaches us things that are valuable. Pain has a way of being a teacher. I hate feeling the pain of daily motherhood, but I sure love what it has done to me.
Motherhood is a crucible; it refines you through fire.
I have a friend who told me her story once. It was an incredible story of a mother overcoming impossible circumstances. She had six children and was pregnant when she left her abusive husband. She was essentially homeless and depending on the goodwill of others while still growing her family and attempting to support it. I’m fairly certain living her life would have broken me. Luckily, things are better for her now.
Before I even knew this woman, or heard her story, I remember seeing her across a room and just thinking “Wow, there’s something about her.” She had that special look in her eye, and carried herself with dignity (and a little sass). I remember wanting to get to know her and being drawn to her inner magnetic strength.
The crucible of her journey through motherhood (and life) is what refined her. The pain that we so often seek to avoid and self-pity we feel for ourselves when going through trials is often the tool we need to embrace to build a better and stronger character.
No matter how many mom hacks, pro tips, or gadgets we embrace to assist our mothering choices, there is always going to be a day-in-day-out drudgery you can’t avoid. Someday, you’ll look back and realize that you did it. You got through it. That’s the crucible. That’s what burns away all the things you don’t need: self-doubt, excessive worry, self-centeredness, despair. And when you get through a crucible, you’re left with the very core of yourself, and that’s honestly all you need in the end – YOU, unhindered.
How does Marabou support women?
We live in culture where “bouncing back” is more valued than proper rest. As admirable as it may be for a sports star to get back on the field, the same rules don’t apply to postpartum recovery. The traditional resting period has been stolen from women through pressure to get back to their job or simply through lack of presence.
Grandmas, sisters and best friends who otherwise would have been there to help a woman transition into motherhood often live too far away to be of any help. Household chores and caring for older children inevitably fall on the mom. But she just delivered a new life! She needs rest.
Marabou Services is a unique gift registry which provides services instead of stuff. Most mom’s get too many onesies, too many baby blankets and not enough helping hands. Break out of a destructive cultural norm and start a Marabou registry today.
With a Marabou registry you can sing up for any service which will benefit you or someone you know during the postpartum recovery period.
Postpartum doulas for a first time mom
House cleanings for moms of multiples
Childcare for moms with older children!
Once your registry is created, add it to any other registry or post it to your Facebook and ask friends and family contribute to your postpartum service, rather than buying you more stuff.
More and more moms find they have to figure out postpartum alone. Is it any wonder why PMDs are on the rise? Or women are embittered by the journey of motherhood? We can change that by giving the gift of peace.
