Why are Moms so hard on themselves?

Elevate Church filmed this video for a past Mother’s Day.

In this video, several Moms describe themselves as a mother. These same moms later watched a video showing what their kids had to say about them (see below).

As Moms, we teach our kids about what it means to be grateful and give thanks. However, do we ever stop to realize how grateful and blessed our family is to have us in their lives? What we do every single day as Moms is awe-inspiring. On the surface, it may seem like we only fold tons of laundry, help with homework, drive the kids to school and activities, pack lunches, cook dinner, and work, but in reality…

We are responsible for shaping lives – not only the lives of our children, but our own.

The other day, my youngest (he just turned 7) asked me why I put on make-up. I told him that I feel better about how I look when I cover up the dark splotches on my cheeks (melasma from my pregnancy with him). He told me, “Mom, you’re pretty just the way you are. Plus, you’re taking valuable time away from playing Monopoly.”

After dinner on another day, my boys told me they wanted to finish cleaning up quickly so we could snuggle and read in my bed. My boys gave me specific orders to take out my contacts, wash off my makeup, put on my glasses, and put on my pajamas, “because that’s when you’re the prettiest.” Yes, my cup runneth over.

How best can we lead our families and set examples for our children about self-worth, self-esteem and taking care of one’s self in order to serve others? Moms, be proud of what you do, who you are and why you do what you do every day.

If only the world saw us the way our children saw us. If only we saw ourselves through that same lens.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Charmin Calamaris

Charmin is a wife, mom of two boys and creator of the Momiverse. The Momiverse is an online magazine for busy moms (is there any other kind?) dedicated to helping moms make time – and take time – for themselves. She traded in her career in land use planning and environmental policy to become Chief Executive Navigator of the Momiverse. You can connect with Charmin in her "online office" on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

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