Mom fatigue. Dealing with a bajillion decisions that are endless, stressful, and sometimes confusing.
When do I put my five-week-old to bed?
How long do I wait to potty train?
Which video games should I let my ten-year-old play?
Moms, take heart.
I can let you in on a little secret.
You’re not just choosing a bed time story or picking out video games. With every decision you make, you’re learning more and more about your child. You’re growing more confident about what’s best for him or her.
And later, that confidence will help you make decisions that are bigger and more life-directing than the ones you struggle with now.
Don’t let anyone give you a hard time for stressing about the smallest details. Keep working hard to make the right choices.
Because in the end, you’ll be qualified for bigger things.
MOM FATIGUE IS GOOD TRAINING
Our youngest daughter was a teenager when we moved to another state because of my husband’s job transfer. At the time, she felt her world had caved in. But I knew how to encourage her and help her find her way. And my daughter trusted me, because I’d already made a decade and a half of good decisions that had ended pretty well for her.
When our middle daughter developed a medical problem that stumped all her doctors, I’m the one who diagnosed it and then moved mountains (and traveled halfway across the country) to get the help she needed. How did I know? Because when she was little, I’m the one who stressed over how many baby aspirin to give her for a fever. And whether or not to believe she wasn’t faking a stomach ache on the day of a big math test. When she had severe health problems as a teenager, years of making decisions about her health gave me a gut feeling something was wrong.
Soon after our oldest daughter finished college, she flipped her car on the way to a job interview and ended up in the hospital. For weeks I knew exactly how to take care of her and how to get her back on track. And it wasn’t all that difficult. After all, I’m the one who’d decided to put her in preschool earlier than the other kids because I knew she was born to meet challenges. And I discovered I was right.
MOM FATIGUE AND LITTLE DECISIONS
So much (nearly all) of what you do as a parent is by trial and error, and the little decisions you make that turn out well will give you the confidence you need to make the next, more challenging decision.
Trust your gut.
Pray a lot.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5, HCSB
And know that one day—when your precious child is about to pull out of the driveway with her brand new driver’s license, or lets you know she landed a dream job four states away, or tells you she thinks she’s ready to get married—you’re going to know exactly how to act and how to respond. After all, you’ve been making hard decisions for her since she was hours hold and needed either a feeding or a pacifier.
Don’t stress too much. Push through the mom fatigue.
Have fun on this journey of knowing and loving your child.
And look forward to the day you’ll be best friends. Because then you’ll be asking them for advice:)
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