Be encouraged! There’s No Such Thing … As Super Mom

Last week, I spoke for NCHE (North Carolinians for Home Education) at their awesome conference in Winston-Salem. I loved being able to talk with many of the 6000+ attendees on everything from multi-level teaching to marriage. Moms, and especially homeschool moms really float my boat.  They are my people, if you know what I mean.  🙂  I get being a mom. Most of the women I spoke to had similar questions and the biggest one is usually “Am I doing enough?”

We do so much, don’t we? Or at least we try to do so much. Ballet, soccer, music lessons, co-op, church, birthday parties. Just looking at a potential list of all the things I “could” be doing but am not makes me feel like a failure sometimes.

Man, we’re hard on ourselves! I used to ask myself if I was doing enough a lot when our kids were all little, but I must admit, it’s lessening with each passing year. Now that two of our daughters are grown, I find myself emotionally tied to less “super” things … and more sappy ones. Turns out that the best memories we all share are pretty simple. Like reading together. Nothing “super” about that… or is there? 🙂

One of the reasons I love speaking to moms is because it provides me with an opportunity to “be real” about my own life—flaws and all.  You see, there’s no such thing as a mom who has it all together. The mom who is SUPER academic will often wonder why she can’t be more laid back like her unschooling friend. And the mom who is SUPER organized may secretly wish she could be more laid back. Some moms are SUPER at socializing while others are SUPER at crockpot dinners. We’ve all got our strengths and weaknesses. And that’s okay. I think the key to avoiding Super Mom Syndrome is just to keep being real with each other.

You see I’ve come to believe that the best encouragement comes from ordinary moms being … well … ordinary. It’s not the “Super Moms” that encourage me. It’s the moms who share the same struggles I do but who remain willing to try again tomorrow. The mom who can say “Yeah, I thought about quitting homeschooling last week too!” … and then didn’t quit because she was reminded of the why rather just the oh-so-daily tasks of homeschooling.

The mom who falls down, and then talks about how God met her where she was at—and kept at it—shows us that His strength really is made perfect in weakness.

That’s the good stuff.

At the end of the day, my kids won’t remember me as Super Mom. But I hope they remember that I loved them. That I asked for forgiveness when it was necessary. That I wasn’t embarrassed to put a frozen pizza in the oven even when company came over for dinner unannounced and that I taught them how to navigate the often rough waters of parenthood with a little flair all their own. I hope they learn how to listen for the Lord so that they take on His yoke and not someone else’s. His yoke is easy. His burden is light.

You don’t have to be Super Mom.  Just have to Abide in Him. You can do all things through Christ.

Heidi St John Guide to Daylight

This entry was posted in Homeschooling, MomStrong Parenting and tagged , , on by .

About Heidi St. John

Heidi has been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and three grandchildren! The St. Johns homeschooled their kids all the way through high school. Heidi is the the author of seven books, host of the popular podcast "Off the Bench," and the founder of MomStrong International, an online community of women learning God's Word and how to apply it to every day life. She and her husband Jay are also the founders of Firmly Planted Family and the Firmly Planted Homeschool Resource Center, located in Vancouver, Washington.

9 thoughts on “Be encouraged! There’s No Such Thing … As Super Mom

  1. Caroline Cordle

    I find it embarrassing when people think I am a “Super Mum”…I only look after my family – it’s all pretty ordinary. But, when my children think I am a “super Mum”, that’s a whole different thing! THAT makes my heart sing, because it’s little things they think are great…like when I come downstairs in a new outfit and tell me I am pretty, or wax lyrical about the lovely (but, oh so simple to make!!!) spag bol dinner! Their appreciation is what makes it all worth it! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Keri

    What a wonderful encouraging blog post! I also feel sometimes in my heart that I am not doing enough, but I know in my head that I am. I think we just all want to be and do the best for our children and that is what makes us all “Super Moms” 😉

    Learning how to homeschool isn’t easy, but it’s worth it! ~> Keri, Proud HS’ing mom to DD & DS <3

    Reply
  3. Amber

    Thanks for the post. I know for me, I don’t try to be a “Super Mom” on purpose because I know that I’ll just disappoint myself in the end. I do the best that I can. It’s good to appreciate things when then do happen and when they don’t then we do our best to deal with it. It’s all a lesson.

    Reply
  4. Maegan

    Just what I needed to hear this morning! Every once in a while I start feeling that nagging feeling like I should be doing more, should be planning more, but the truth is, my happy children speak for themselves. Thank you for the encouraging post! I can always make use of a gentle reminder of what is truly important.

    Reply
  5. Selena

    Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! Feeling rather down lately & your site of encouragement is helping! Keep up the wonderful words & may God bless you in your home! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Stephanie Webb

    I just read your article ‘Homeschooling Held Hostage” in the IAHE Informer because my husband handed it to me and said, “You need to read this.” I have now read through 6 pages of your posts under the label ‘homeschooling.’ I just had to stop and say thank you so much. I feel very convicted. I have forgotten some of the most important things about homeschooling. I am ready to start again, refreshed.

    Reply
    1. Heidi Post author

      Thank you Stephanie! Homeschooling is hard, isn’t it? But I’m learning that it’s much harder when I do it in my strength instead of His. I hope I get to meet you as I’m out speaking this summer. ((hugs)) heidi

      Reply

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