Mothers have it hard: What does it take to be a mother?
One study shows that mothers have up to 26 morning tasks that they perform on a daily basis. These tasks involve cooking, cleaning, getting children washed, dressed, fed, and plenty of organizing. This is a massive list that takes up just a fraction of the day. Not to mention she has to fit in time for herself, balancing friendships, and maintaining a healthy romantic relationship with her husband.
There’s no doubt about it, mothers have it hard: What does it take to be a mother? Here are a number of parenting tips every new mother needs:
Accepting Complete Exhaustion
Until you are a mother, you do not know what it truly means to be exhausted. You’ve racked your body by giving birth, and now you’re expected to spend the next few months on relatively no sleep and all this while keeping a smile on your face, caring for your husband, and attempting to drag your mascara across your lashes. Life is tiring, but you’re no quitter!
Balancing Work and Parenting
As a working mother, balancing work and parenting is a nightmare. It seems to go one of two ways. One: At work, you are a rock star, but you feel immense guilt for not spending every waking moment adoring your children. Two: You are Supermom, you play with your children until they are exhausted and shower them with love, but your work performance is definitely suffering. Stress? Check!
Balancing Romance and Parenting
Balancing your children’s needs vs your husband’s needs is definitely a juggling act. As a new mother, your instinct is to devote all of your time and energy to your little one. But, you can’t forget about your romantic relationship. Your husband is your rock and your best friend. By giving all of your time and energy to your children, you are robbing your marriage of a strong bond. Of course, your children need attention, love, and care, but they will grow up one day and you will be left with your husband.
By communicating regularly and introducing a date night each week to bond and romance one another, you’ll ensure that when your children go off to start their own lives you’ll be left at home with your best friend and not just a roommate.
Patience
Even the most excited new mother probably isn’t prepared for the huge change her life will take once a little baby is brought into it. Children are a huge responsibility. This is eternally rewarding as it is immensely trying. When your children are young they can’t communicate what they want, their cries are incredibly frustrating. Growing up can add to this fire when they stop listening to you or start making their own decisions, which you may or may not agree with. Patience is a virtue for mothers at any stage in the game.
Good Housekeeping
As a mother, not only are you going to strive to do your best as a wife, supporter, and mother, but you are also a great housekeeper. This means cleaning up dirty diapers, baby-proofing your home, cleaning spills, vacuuming dust, and maintaining a house so that it is neat and orderly. This can be a daunting task, especially for new mothers or mothers of young children. Some days you may want to throw your hands into the air and exclaim “Why bother!” But you always do, and it’s always for the best.
Forgiveness
Life doesn’t always go the way you anticipate, and that extends to raising your children. Life as a mother is full of ups and downs. From little things like breaking your favorite mug to bigger ordeals like lying or sneaking out, parenthood will definitely test your ability to forgive. Nurturing a close bond with your children will help you remain humble, hopeful, and forgiving of any of their shortcomings.
Selflessness
Being a mother means giving up your time, your sleep, and sometimes even your sense of self, all for the benefit of raising your children in a way that creates happy, healthy, respectable adults. Some nights are hard and you may feel lost along the way, but there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you are contributing to the happiness and welfare of your children.
Financial Stability
You may not always have it, but financial stability definitely falls under what it takes to be a mother. One study suggests that child-related expenses in the first 12 months of your baby’s life averages at around $12,000, if not more. Babies aren’t cheap, nor does parenting become cheaper the older they get. Until they are out on their own, and sometimes even after that, they are financially dependent on you to take care of them. This means clothes, food, diapers, and supplementary money for things like dinners and going to the movies are a huge financial responsibility.
Respect
You may think it is your child’s job to respect you as the parent, as it should be, but as the mother, you are equally expected to respect your child’s thoughts and feelings, especially deep into their teen years. Showing respect for their tears and embarrassments will set a precedent for them to respect you in return, the older they get. This will help them grow into compassionate individuals who care for the needs and feelings of others.
Unconditional Love
As a mother, you have discovered a love you thought existed only in fairy tales. This unbreakable, all-consuming, faithful, and unconditional love fills your soul to the brim. This is the love you show when you kiss your baby goodnight, when you continue checking on them in the night well into their teens, when you bandage a scraped knee, and when you sacrifice your time and energy all for the sake of giving your very best to your little child.
Author Bio:-Rachel Pace is a relationship expert with years of experience in training and helping couples. She has helped countless individuals and organizations around the world, offering effective and efficient solutions for healthy and successful relationships. Her mission is to provide inspiration, support and empowerment to everyone on their journey to a great marriage. She is a featured writer for Marriage.com, a reliable resource to support healthy happy marriages.