Just wondering... Have you seen the newest Newsweek? It is chalk full of articles of interest to me. I love this one about a "Slacker Mom" who refuses to join the rat race.
And how many of you can relate to this one by Judith Warner about Perfect Madness- Mothers in the Age of Anxiety? Do you agree with her conclusions? I'm not sure I do, but I thnk she is right about women my age and feelings of being overwhelmed.
Then there is an Anna Quindlin article called The Good Enough Mom. My favorite part Quindlin's article:
There's the problem with turning motherhood into martyrdom. There's no way
to do it and have a good time. If we create a never-ending spin cycle of
have-tos because we're trying to expiate senseless guilt about working or not
working, trying to keep up with the woman at school whose kid gets A's because
she writes the papers herself, the message we send our children is terrible. By
our actions we tell them that being a mom—being their mom—is a drag, powered by
fear, self-doubt and conformity, all the things we are supposed to teach them to
overcome. It just becomes a gloss on that old joke: Enough about me. What about
you? How do you make me feel about myself? The most incandescent memories of my
childhood are of making my mother laugh. My kids did the same for me. A good
time is what they remember long after toddler programs and art projects are
over. The rest is just scheduling.
OUCH! That one hit me right between the eyes! Being a Mom is hard at times, but do we make it harder than it has to be? It is also supposed to be fun. What do you think???
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3 comments:
Oh golly yes! Too many of today's moms are trying to be all and give all to their kids. I refuse to try to keep up with them.
A normal life... that's all I want for my children. Not a perfect life.
Thank you for the Slacker Mom article! I AM that mom - and now I don't have to listen to that little voice in my head that whispers "You're not doing enough." We have a house full of snakes & toads that we've found around our house & on trips. My kids love to hunt for worms, bugs & go to the creek & catch minnows. In the summer I put them in junky clothes & make a big mud puddle in our yard & let them get as dirty as they want to. The world is LITERALLY their playground & I don't have to pay a membership fee or be there on time!!! My kids have learned a lot about God through our nature walks & time outside. I hope the slacker way of life becomes a popular trend!!!
Yes, I think we make it way harder than we have to. Thanks for your comments, Stephanie. I was intrigued by those Newsweek articles!
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