5 Ways to Zap "Mommy Guilt"
I remember, almost 14 years ago, bringing my son Kai home from
the hospital. We had borrowed an old car seat from someone we
knew. I placed all 6 lbs 14 oz. of him into the car seat and
suddenly burst into tears. The car seat was way too big for him.
I really felt I had failed him. I mean what kind of mother
doesn't know he needed an infant car seat? The sudden awareness
that I didn't know what I was doing hit me like a ton of bricks.
The nurses were gone and I was on my own.
>From the moment you become pregnant until the day you or your
child dies, you try to be the very best mom you can be to your
children. It doesn't take long, however, before you make
mistakes. Parenting doesn't go as planned. Your children do
outrageous things. Accidents happen. Feelings get hurt. Children
go down the wrong path. Your marriage struggles. And the
feelings of guilt inevitably follow. It doesn't matter if your
children are young or grown; motherhood guilt is always a
struggle.
So how can you minimize those pesky, guilty feelings? Here are
some helpful tips to help you zap the guilt and enjoy the
journey of motherhood.
Stop Comparing Yourself and Your Children to Others
Is Kayla sitting up yet? When did Matthew start walking? My
child knows all her colors and the whole alphabet and she's only
two. Does your son play travel sports? What did your daughter
get on the SAT test? My son is 28 and he is still not married.
Comparing our children to other children is an easy trap to fall
into. But it is not healthy for our children or us as moms
because every child is different. They each have different
strengths, weaknesses, developmental patterns and personalities.
Let your children be who they are and avoid the comparison game.
Just like you shouldn't compare your children to other children,
the same goes for you. Let go of any need you have to compare
yourself to other moms. Todd Parr wrote a great children's book
called "The Mommy Book". In this book, he talks about how all
mommies are different. Some mommies like to cook and some like
to order pizza. Some mommies work in tall office buildings and
some work at home. I have a friend who is the epitome of June
Cleaver. Almost all her meals are home cooked. She makes all her
children's Halloween costumes. She is totally organized and
structured with her children's school work and activities. If I
compare myself to her, I am plagued with feelings of guilt. I
make Hamburger Helper for my family, purchase all their
Halloween costumes and I consistently fail at structure with my
kids. But I'm still a great mom, and so is she. It's okay to be
different.
Accept Your Limitations as Well as Your Children's
You don't have to be all things to your children and your
children don't have to be all things to you. In other words,
it's okay if you make mistakes. And your children deserve the
same grace. One of the things I often struggle with is thinking
I need to be my child's constant playmate. I have to be honest.
Sometimes I don't feel like playing cars or looking at another
car magazine. Sure, my child may feel disappointed if I say no,
but it doesn't mean I am not being a good mother. I have my
limits and I need to respect them. All moms have limits. When we
go over our limits, we usually become irritable and
short-tempered. Exceeding our limits can cause a vicious cycle
of behaving in a way that makes us feel guilty.
Your children have limitations too. Just because a child has a
bad day of misbehavior doesn't mean you are doing something
wrong. While I was on vacation this past week, there were days
that my 3-1/2 year old was a little monster. He was in time out
constantly. Of course, all the other little children around were
perfectly well behaved. At one point, I was exasperated and I
asked my aunt, "What is wrong with him?" My aunt reassured me
that he is fine - he's just being a kid. It's times like this
that we often question our parenting. Sometimes I think it's
helpful to just understand that motherhood has its good days and
bad days and it has very little to do with our ability to parent
our children.
Apologize When You Are Wrong
Let's face it. Sometimes we blow it. We say or do something to
our child that we immediately regret. If this ever happens to
you, apologize immediately. Our children then learn that we are
human and we make mistakes. Children are very forgiving and
forgiveness conquers guilt. There is nothing more humbling than
being able to admit when we behaved in a way we know is wrong.
Right after we took the pacifier away from our preschooler, he
decided he wasn't going to take naps. My son went from taking a
3 hour nap everyday to taking no nap at all. One day, after
trying for several days and failing, I was insisting my son take
a nap. I was tired and I needed a break more than he did. My
little strong-willed boy was determined to stay awake. Not only
was he refusing to sleep, he was also refusing to stay in his
bed. His attitude was one of defiance and his fighting was
wearing me down. After several attempts to make him nap, I lost
my temper. I yelled at him and told him he was going to take a
nap. In utter frustration and anger, I spanked him and stormed
out of his bedroom.
The guilt smacked me in the face. I treated my son in a way I
totally disagreed with. I don't believe in spanking, especially
when one is angry. I immediately went to God and pleaded for
forgiveness. Not only did I apologize to God, but I had a long
heart to heart talk with my little guy. I told him how sorry I
was and explained that I was angry. He told me he was mad too.
We hugged and made up. I knew then I had been forgiven by both
God and my son.
Don't Buy Into Others Attempts to Make You Feel Guilty
Everyone has their own set of rules and values they live by.
Oftentimes, when people can't accept differences in other
people, they impose their opinion, often resulting in attempts
to instill guilt, conscious or not. At the end of the summer, I
took a 3 day retreat to reenergize. I went to Door County by
myself and had a wonderful time shopping, watching movies,
reading, and sightseeing. Upon my return home, I was faced with
disapproving remarks from my mother-in-law. She couldn't
understand how I could go on a vacation by myself. I knew in my
heart and soul that I did nothing wrong, despite how others
might have viewed the retreat.
Children are really great at attempting to manipulate with
guilt. They know our buttons and are very aware of what tugs on
our heart. My teenager is very skilled at using guilt to try and
get his way. He'll say, "I never get to do anything fun" or "You
never spend any time with me". He knows that it's important to
me that I spend time with him, so he uses that to pull on my
heart strings. Stay strong and secure with who you are as a
mother and these attempts to make you feel guilty will fall by
the wayside.
We are Not Responsible for Everything our Children Do
Just because we gave birth to our children does not mean we are
responsible for all their behaviors. Children have a mind of
their own and often don't listen to the wisdom we give. We can
be the best mom and our children will still make mistakes that
take us by surprise. One evening I was babysitting my friend's
little baby. The evening was going along just fine until I had
to feed the baby. My 3 year old was sitting next to me, watching
me spoon the barley cereal into the little guy's mouth. I was
holding the bowl in one hand and the spoon in the other. Don't
ask me what provoked my child, but in 1 second flat, he had
smacked the bowl of cereal out of my hand. The bowl of cereal,
on its way to the back of the couch, ricocheted off the baby's
eyebrow, leaving a big bump on his head. Cereal was everywhere,
including in the baby's eye. I now had a hysterical infant and a
laughing preschooler. Call it jealousy, or call it curiosity,
but I can assure you I never taught my child to behave like
that. Although I was horrified by my child's behavior, I knew
that I was not to blame for his outburst. I am his mom, and I am
responsible for teaching him right from wrong, but I cannot
always control how my children behave.
Unless you are severely neglecting your child or setting a very
bad example for your children, there is no reason for you to
feel guilt. God chose you to be the mother of your children, and
He doesn't make mistakes. God does not expect you to be a
perfect mother and he does not expect you to raise perfect
children. So relax, have confidence, and enjoy the journey of
motherhood.
Lori Radun, CEC - certified life coach for moms. To receive her
FREE newsletter and the special report "155 Things Moms Can Do
to Raise Great Children, go to
http://www.true2youlifecoaching.com