What Makes a Good Mother?

What makes a good mother?

Is it getting out all the laundry stains, successfully rocking her baby to sleep at a loud wedding reception, changing a poopy diaper with one wipe?

Is it keeping her child's car seat rear-facing until age 2, leaving her full-time job to stay at home, breastfeeding for a year?

Is it remembering to brush her children's teeth every day, making sure they are appropriately dressed for the weather, serving organic foods?

Is it having a child who sleeps in their own bed all night, doesn't bite or hit or swear, walks before they're 1?

Is it staying on top of vaccinations, not vaccinating at all, or following an alternate schedule for vaccinations?

Is it making nightly popcorn with your baby on one hip, filling out every line in the baby book, completing a scrapbook to document each year?

Is it being rapidly adaptable to change, constantly putting her children before herself, or just keeping her kids alive to see another day?

How do we define our success as parents?

When you say your mom is the best mom in the world, what do you mean? What are you referring to? How are you measuring her value?

Sometimes I think we place too much pressure on ourselves and try to control our children and hold them to worldly standards rather than to help them find and fulfill God's design for their lives and teach them about the character of Christ. I get so caught up in milestones and what Rooney "should" be doing when from an eternal standpoint there are other things that are so much more important.

It is a big job, parenting. Rooney watches and imitates us so closely. I believe that my primary goal as a mother should be to emulate Christ for her, but I fall short daily. I get frustrated when she wants to run around a restaurant. I get flustered when she's tired but won't nap. I feel like a failure when she throws a fit in front of my boss' boss.

But none of that matters. I don't need to be perfect. That is not the point. He has grace for me (and for you). He is the perfect parent and will cover us where we fall short. I just need to direct my kid(s) to him.