Motherhood gets a bad rap in the media, and that’s largely because of the way that some mothers talk about it. Before I had my daughter, the picture I had of motherhood was grim. I was told becoming a mother would strip me of my identity. I was told I would never again have time to read a book or do something I enjoy. I was told my marriage would deteriorate.
None of this turned out to be true. Not even close. But can we be surprised young women are deciding against motherhood when young women are seeing posts from moms crying or saying that they don’t have any sense of identity?
So many mothers on social media make the best job in the world look absolutely awful. I’m not suggesting we lie about the difficulties of motherhood, but if you love your children, you know that there is much more joy than frustration or sorrow in parenting. If you don’t have a sense of identity, it’s not because you’re a parent. I became more truly myself when I became a mother. It rubbed away my rough edges. It gave me purpose. Becoming a mother made me learn to steward my time wisely. I became who I was meant to be because of motherhood. I’m not saying all women are called to motherhood, but most are. Don’t blame your kids for your weak sense of identity.
Let’s show pictures of playing board games with our kids, or reading when they nap, or pursuing our hobbies with them rather than in spite of them. Let’s encourage our daughters to become mothers themselves.
Life at Home 