“Motherhood is a calling that I’ve been entrusted with.
It is a very high calling, but it is not the highest.
My highest calling, as a Christian woman, is following God.”

Laura Wifler

Being a mother is a delight to the heart. The newborn stage is filled with cuddles and smiles. The toddler stage is filled with play and discovery. The school age stage is filled with family fun and personality. The teenage years are filled with achievements and late-night conversations.

Being a mother is also hard work. Every season has unique challenges. Caring for newborns requires constant feeding, changing, and napping. Caring for toddlers involves non-stop activity and mess. Caring for school age children involves the rigors of school, sport, and hobby schedules. Caring for teens involves emotions, discussions, and change.

I am a mother to three, and Gram to six grandchildren aged six years and under. I loved being a mum, and spending time with my grandchildren is the highlight of my week. To parent well each day, I had a few key strategies that I hope may also help you thrive in your season of motherhood.

  1. I had a flexible outline for each day. This provided security of the known to my children and enabled me to spread the essential household task out over the day. This reduced the daily decision making and minimised the mess.

    This was caring for my physical wellbeing.
  2. I tried to add a meaningful activity to each of the mundane tasks of the day. Morning tea was used to memorise Bible verses, one-to-one play time with mum used toys to teach patience, kindness and other virtues, and bath time was for singing songs.

    This was caring for my intellectual wellbeing as it kept me thinking about best ways to do this.
  3. I had regular time with God each day. This was at different times in the day in different seasons. Sometimes it was very short, yet I found that the daily consistency provided perspective, peace, and wisdom.

    This was caring for my spiritual wellbeing.
  4. I tried to keep an outward focus. Volunteering on church rosters (albeit in a reduced capacity in some seasons) or providing a meal or aid to a friend in need, or joining in a birthday dinner for a friend, allowed me to be less consumed by the daily issues of parenting.

    This was caring for my social wellbeing.
  5. I planned a pocket of joy each day. Having something to look forward to was a great help in those hard days. It may be that your pocket of joy is a hot shower, a walk after dinner, or reading a page or two of a book just before bed.

    This was caring for my emotional wellbeing.

May you be encouraged to care for your own wellbeing as you care for your precious children.

Dr Mel Burr-Dixon

Empatia Senior Consultant (Sydney)
Counsellor, Supervisor, specialist in parenting, youth and young adults

(Toddler to Teen has more practical ideas for managing each day in a way that honours God. Available at Koorong stores.)