Mothering Doesn't Come With A Map

With the start of a new MOPS year, I thought I'd share the article I wrote for our first MOPS newsletter.

I love our theme this year—Adventures in Mothering. I find it to be appropriate since each day as a mom is a new adventure. Sometimes it is a good adventure—first smile, first step, first tooth, even first day of school. Other days the adventure resembles Chevy Chase’s ill-fated cross-country trip.

Often, life as a mom is like visiting a theme park without a map. Unfortunately, mothering doesn’t come with a map. We’re in a theme park of uncharted waters. While we can help each other and share experiences, our children don’t always act as we expect. And honestly, some days we don’t act how we expect ourselves to act. We might take a ride on Monster Mom and we spend the rest of the day wishing we had taken that ride.

Isn’t that part of the total package? When we ride theme park rides, some we like, some we don’t like, and some we wish we’d never gone near. Some moms love the thrill of the coaster and with the ups and downs resembling daily life with children. Some of us would prefer parenting if it bore more resemblance to riding the trams or trains with their definite stops, charted courses and a predictable plan of action.

Let’s bring all our mothering ‘rides’ to MOPS this year and learn from the adventures of one another. We can learn what not to do as well as gain insight into things to try to do. It’s my purpose and prayer to bring help and hope to areas affecting our families this year. If there are topics you’d like me to cover, please let me know.