Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about what kind of a role model I am for my girls.
What I want them to see from me…and what kind of an example I am setting for them.
Grace, especially, is old enough that she watches what I do, values what I value, and currently is my little shadow. I love her so much and want her to always be as wonderful as she is right now…without her becoming tainted by my inadequacies.
And so reflecting on the mother and women I ought to be is something I find myself doing more and more often. In fact, sometimes I think about it so much that I start to feel overwhelmed by everything I feel like I am failing at.
But then this weekend I was reminded of a quote that has been a favorite of mine for a long time now and it made me feel a lot better.
I just need to keep my list simple and continue to work on becoming more kind, tender, and good. I am far from pure and refined…but I am working on it. (And hopefully Grace will see that those are the values that are important to me.)
The world does have enough women who are rude, greedy, and vain. My girls will learn that soon enough. What they need from me now is to be filled with love and tenderness so they can grow up to be the women that I know they can be. (And that the world needs.)
Have a wonderful Tuesday.
-liZ
Beautifully written. I so recognize the ponderings, the fear of failure, the overthinking of what should come so naturally. Because really, if we think about it, what else should we do but just give them our unconditional love, care for them and the world around us, and extend our happiness towards our surroundings? You’ll do a wonderful job, no doubt, you just have to be you. xx
i so needed that today…thanks!
That’s one of my favorite quotes, too! It was great to hear it again this weekend 🙂
I love this! This is something I’ve been pondering a lot lately (and more) because I was raised to behave and be polite and kind, but also to be smart and that I was equal to anyone out there. My childhood wasn’t perfect, but I think my parents did a great job raising me to be someone “of the future” I suppose. That being said, after college I was shocked that the world wasn’t like that. That women were looked down on unless they were on a homemaking track, that if you were on a homemaking track you were considered weak and insignificant, and that if I wanted to succeed in business, I had to ignore my family and work harder than anyone else and generally become cutthroat. That was fine when I was young and in my early twenties, but now that I’m older and settling down and thinking about having children, I don’t think work is that important, I want to be there for my family, and beyond that, I don’t want them to experience all the tough, greedy, and generally awful people I’ve encountered. I’m confused about how to raise children when I do have them, how to prepare them for the world without sacrificing love and kindness on my end, but I think what you wrote is so beautiful. I really needed to read it today. Thank you.
This is a wonderful quote. The job of mothering is challenging and after 23 years of it, I still find that my children need my advice and unconditional love. It is harder than any other job in the world. So much is at stake. I really enjoy reading your blog and please know that your thinking is on the right path. Don’t doubt yourself for even a minute. Cheers Linny.:)
Thank you. I feel SO inadequate to the job God has entrusted to me – these 6 people who need so much from me.
My eyes lit up when I thought I was reading what I was reading! In a world seemingly gone mad, to hear a woman voice the same ideals I believe in, gives me great hope that maybe, just maybe, all this women wanting to take on so much of the traditional male role, will begin to turn back around. I know there are many women who enjoy following the traditional female role.I believe it takes courage to speak out about what has been done to women in the name of feminism. Our choices stolen away from us, covered by the ruse of setting us free. So many women long to raise their own children, feed their families home cooked meals, be women of God relying on His Grace as we walk our path with Him by our side. I pray the women of America will take an honest look at what feminism has done to them, stolen from them ,and have the courage to take it all back.