Finding JOY in Motherhood

What is Motherhood?

Motherhood: having or relating to an inherent worthiness, justness, or goodness that is obvious or unarguable. This defines not only mothers but women in general. Women have an innate goodness and virtue that makes them perfect to mother children. Motherhood is a selfless undertaking, and one that should be praised and admired, at least in my opinion. Motherhood to me means having an inherent worthiness in taking care of a life that is not your own, having justness in teaching a child that is learning and growing, and having a goodness that is very obvious when going through life as a woman and mother.

Examples of Motherhood

I have so many mother figures in my life that have inspired me to become a mother myself, so I thought I would share a few examples, starting with my own mom.

Heidi Farris

My mom is one of my favorite people on this planet. She has taught me so much that I hope I can pass down to my children. She is kind and selfless, and so generous with her time, talents and energy. She goes all in with everything whether that be planning a party, a big event, teaching a lesson in church, crafting a project, etc. She is a go big or go home type of person. Not only does she go all in she shares the greatest advice. I know I can always go to her with any problem and she would help me figure it out. She raised my sisters and I to be independent, hardworking and also respectful and kind. She taught us to strive to be like Christ and to create homes with the Savior at the center of it.

Kayelee Cobb

My older sister is one of the cutest moms ever. She has two baby girls and I am in love with them. Claire (age 2) and Emmaline (10 months). I love to watch her interact with them because it inspires me. She is so fun and always comes up with so many activities. She lets them be active and they spend a majority of their time outside exploring. She has been very good at allowing them to do things around the house. Recently she added shiplap to her walls in her entry way, and she let Claire paint it. Of course she painted over it after, but I loved that she allowed Claire to learn a skill. She is also a wonderful example of Christlike love to others. She is a nurturer if I ever knew one.

Natalie Jordan

I was blessed to marry into a very loving and nurturing home and my mother in law has become a bright Christlike presence in my life. Some things that I love and admire about her are her words of wisdom, her fun loving attitude, and her positivity. She has gone through a lot of trials in her life and I am amazed at her strength and resolve. She is so very generous and kind and she makes me feel like part of the family. I am so thankful that I have her as my second mom.

Emily Jordan

I also got a wonderful sister in law when I got married. Emily is an amazing person and mother. She has two adorable babies Hyrum (age 3) and Ruth (age 1) and she makes their days full of fun and adventure. She has also created an environment where her kids are learning about their Savior. I also love that she has an etsy shop for her paintings and is a beautiful watercolor artist, she goes after her passions and is about to graduate school. She has a love of education and I really admire that she wants her kids to know that education is important. She spreads light and love to everyone.

Motherhood in Real Life

I have been so inspired by the mothers in my life, and am now a mother myself. Becoming a mother has been the most frustrating and yet most rewarding thing in my life. There are so many things that I have learned and have yet to learn about being a mother, but I thought that I would share a few of my experiences being a new mom that have brought me true joy.

The Hard Things

The hardest thing about being a mom for me currently is the sleepless nights. I love sleep, like love it, so losing sleep is my least favorite thing. It is hard for me not to get frustrated when there is a crying baby in the middle of the night and all I want to do is sleep. Another thing that is hard for me is a messy house. I feel like I just get it cleaned and I turn around and it is suddenly dirty again, which is crazy because my son is only 7 weeks old. Adding another human being to your family creates messes that you couldn’t imagine. I guess it also gets messy because I am too tired to clean up most days.

The Good Things

Despite the mess and the sleepless nights, the good things about motherhood far outway the bad. I love that I can just snuggle and love on my son, and watch him grow. I love that I can see his smiles and his little giggles when I do something that makes him happy. I love that I can see his personality coming out and that he is the sweetest little guy. I love to smell his clean hair, and give him baths and watch him enjoy the water. I love that he is always happy no matter what. I love the little noises that he makes. Everything about him gives me true joy. Creating a family has given me more than I could have ever hoped.

Through the good and the bad, I have loved every minute of motherhood and can’t wait to continue the journey. The biggest thing that I want to stress is finding JOY in everything about motherhood. It is such a wonderful precious gift and responsibility. It is one of the hardest things to do, but oh so worth it.

How to find JOY in Motherhood

I have a few things that have helped me find JOY in motherhood that I would like to share:

1. Gratitude: find something about the day to be grateful for. You have some really good days and can accomplish so much, and then other days it is all you can do to keep the baby happy. Sometimes all I can be grateful for is the fact that I got my son dressed, and that I was able to bathe him.

2. Find you time: it is so important to get a few moments to yourself daily. It keeps you sane and allows you to decompress.

3. Keep communication open with you and your spouse. It is vital to being a good wife and mother. Nothing is more important than keeping the communication line open.

4. Be okay with the mess. Let’s be honest, we all would prefer a clean house but in all reality it gets messy and stays messy more often than it stays clean. Instead of worrying about the mess, focus on your baby/ your kids and spending time with them because they don’t stay little forever.

Final Thoughts

In all reality, you can always find JOY in motherhood. At the end of the day, it is all about the little things. Through the good and the bad seeing your child grow and see the world a little more each day, makes everything worth it. That is true JOY.