Enough

As you might have noticed, Mother's Day brought out a lot of commercials from the likes of Kleenex and Hallmark and Johnson and Johnson.  Tear-inducing commercials.  Cute kids with no front teeth making endearing commentaries about their mothers.  I watch every one that comes up on my Facebook feed, boo-hooing my way through them all.  But as I watched one this year, a phrase caught my attention, and I latched onto it:

You are enough.

And it made me think.  How many times do we as mothers feel we fail our children?  For me, it is daily, hourly, sometimes by the minute!  I do too much of this, too little of that, and ultimately, I feel like I've failed my children.  From what I've heard, I'm not alone.  How often we compare ourselves to the mother in our playgroup, in the pew in front of us, at the grocery store - and come up woefully short.

Maybe you didn't have the natural childbirth you'd so lovingly planned.  Maybe you were screaming for drugs after 10 hours of labor and no birth on the immediate horizon.  Maybe you had to have a C-section!

You are enough.

Maybe you didn't breastfeed for a whole year.  Maybe you didn't breastfeed at all!  Maybe you fed your baby solids at three months when your pediatrician suggested you wait.  Maybe you slept with your baby - or didn't, and let him cry it out, crying along with him outside his room.

You are enough.

Maybe you didn't read to her every day, or give her tummy time often enough.  Maybe you felt the teensiest bit frustrated when she wouldn't stop crying, and maybe you had to leave the room to preserve some sanity.  Maybe all you wanted each day was just a few minutes to yourself - and this after wanting a baby so badly!

You are enough.

Maybe you didn't throw Pinterest-inspired parties for his birthdays.  Maybe you didn't bake cookies after school every day or serve vegetables each night fresh from the garden.  Maybe you let him watch waaaay too much TV so you could have a few moments of peace.

You are enough.

Maybe you lost your temper - a lot.  Maybe you yelled more than you wanted to.  Maybe you didn't follow through when you disciplined.  Maybe you were lazy sometimes and looked the other way when your child misbehaved.

You are enough.


Here is what you have done, and continue to do:

You love your children.  You love them so fiercely you are sometimes taken aback with the intensity of your love.

You feed your children - healthy food most of the time.  You bathe them - carefully and with a watchful eye.  You kiss their boo-boos, squeeze them tight when they're sad, and defend them when necessary. You tuck them in at night and say prayers and kiss their foreheads.  You tell them you love them to the moon and back.  You sing them songs and laugh with them and listen to their stories.  You drive them to their activities and watch all their recitals, games and programs.  You help with homework, you teach them manners, and you guide their decisions.

You give them what they desperately need more than anything - yourself.

No one can be a better mother to your children than the girl you see when you look in the mirror.  God gave you your children - not the mother down the street whose birthday parties are to die for.  Not the lady in the grocery picking out the organic fruits to puree into baby food.  Not the gal from your play group whose child speaks fluent French at age three.

No, God gave your children to you.  And He doesn't make mistakes.  He knows no one can raise them better than you.  Our God entrusted them to you.

You are enough.