Ode to Motherhood

Yes, I know I am a bit late here, but I didn't want to quote it wrong so I had to wait for the General Conference talks to be posted on the Internet today. As you may have guessed from my title I would like to focus on the talk Elder Ballard gave concerning the "Daughters of God". Wow! So motivational.

I would feel better about just posting the whole talk right here on my blog. But then you wouldn't get the "joy" of reading what I have to say about what he said... Here goes!

The first thing that really struck me was when he said "I surely know that there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood."
How Lucky am I to get to be part of that everyday?!? It might not always be the easiest thing in the world, but I know I am being blessed by the choice I made to, in essence give up myself to be a mother. We struggled to know if we would survive financially if I wasn't working after Mav was born, but after praying and receiving answers to those prayers that we would receive greater blessings if I would stay home and raise our child. It has happened.

And It REALLY hit home for me when he was talking about how "the early years in a child’s life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent’s normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes." It is honestly such a short time... then Mav will go to college, on a mission, get married, and have kids of his own. And that is Really not that far away. I need to live in the moment a bit more.


Elder Ballard went on to say "What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." I might not always be doing EVERYTHING right, but with that statement I feel like I am at leased doing "what matters". Oh I love my sweet Maverick! And I am so glad that Brian is such a dedicated Dad. Elder Ballard talked to fathers too. He said "Don’t put work, friends, or sports ahead of listening to, playing with, and teaching your children." Brian is so good to put mine and Mav's needs before his anytime. And Maverick gets so excited to see, and play with his "Dadda"! Or even just talk to Bri on the phone. Thank you Brian for loving being a daddy so much.

It was comforting to hear that "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother." Sometimes I find myself comparing Mav to other children, and thinking to myself why isn't he doing that yet? I need to teach him that... man! I am a slacker mom. But that isn't fair. I am doing the best I can and each child is different, and each parent is different, and I am sure that I am not doing as poorly as I tell myself sometimes.

So back to living in the moment more ... he quoted Anna Quindel, when she said,"I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”. My own mother was such a good example of this, and still is actually... She ALWAYS puts her children first. And it isn't that she takes over our life, but she makes us a part of hers no matter when we might throw our needs and wants upon her. She is an AMAZING listener, and wonderful friend. It doesn't matter if everything is "done" because she realizes it is never "done" -she lives in the now. Day by day. I hope to do the same. I know these moments with Mav will pass so quickly. They already have!!! He is so big and independent already. My journey as a mother has really just begun, and I am nowhere near to being an expert, but I love what I am learning!

I am also so grateful for Elder Ballard's encouragement when he said "As a Church, we have enormous respect and gratitude to you mothers of young children. We want you to be happy and successful in your families and to have the validation and support you need and deserve"

What an amazing talk. I am so happy that I get to be a mom at this time in my life. It brings me so much joy to have Maverick. And being a Mother is what I always wanted to do. And I just wanted to tell all you mothers out there in internet land thanks for choosing to be a mother and all our children need is our love, support, and direction. And we are all doing better than we think, I am sure.