Defining our success.
Kathryn August 31st, 2011
Our Family...
A comment made on FB today caused me to reflect on a couple of other things I’ve read and conversations I’ve had. These things have led to this question ‘How do I define my success as a mother?’ that then led to ‘How to others define my success as a mother’ followed by how does the world define it?
Now, before we go any further I would like to add that I know my role as a mother is never complete. As Elder Lynn G. Robbins said, I can never ‘check a child off my list as done’ and I don’t plan to! I love my children and I will always be seeking to teach and guide them in appropriate ways, and to be the best mother I can be to them.
Let me share with you a couple of the comments that show a part of how others define their success. One said ‘No matter how many colours, shapes, numbers and letters I managed to teach my child before she goes to school, I will have failed if I haven’t taught her that she is loved and given her the confidence that she CAN learn new skills.’
Another made the comment ‘ Parenting is all about redundancy. In the end, we want to do ourselves out of a job.’ I personally LOVE that one! Thanks SR!
Now neither of those comments were made in response to my question, but I think that they both show in part what these women believe is important in their role as mothers and parents. Each of us have different life experiences that teach us to value things differently and that is reflected in the way we continue to live our lives. It’s reflected in the type of parents we become.
I don’t know if I can concisely explain how I can, do or will define my success as a mother. It’s something I want to give more thought to before declaring it to the universe!
What is so wonderful is that we can ask this question about any aspect of our lives. How do we define our success as a….. parent? Friend? Teacher? Student? Sunday School Teacher? Youth Leader? the list goes on!
Ultimately how others define our successes does not matter, although it’s often hard to remember that! Others will always have different priorities that will influence how they think you should be as a mother – but they are not YOUR priorities! They are theirs! And I am a strong believer that there is no one else in the world who can make better decisions about you or children than you can, as a conscious and loving parent!
Today I’m going to ask you to share some ways in which you feel you can define success in parenthood. Or how you feel your parents succeeded, or your grandparents, or the couple who lived next door to you for 20 years! Sharing these with me will help me, and hopefully others, become the best parents we can be by giving us the opportunity to consider where our priorities are and where they should be!
