Moms Need Other Moms

As I'm cleaning the bathrooms this morning in a quiet house, my mind wanders. I mean, I'm not going to focus too much on the toilet. I had a fun girls night out last night with some very sweet ladies, 2 of whom are moms themselves and one will be in about 9 months! :) Our husbands all work together and will soon begin what they call "turnaround" at work. To us wives, this means our husbands will be working 12-14 hour days, 7 days a week for about 2 months straight. We decided we should be proactive in having a girls night out together before we all struggle through the time of missing our husbands. We are also planning to have another one when it's all over. ;)

I've just been thinking about how much these friendships and so many others I have mean to me. Moms really need other moms. It just helps us to keep our sanity. Although each of our children are different, we all struggle with so many of the same struggles and experience a lot of the same joys. It is so good to share this with others who understand.

I rely a lot on my older sisters, who are amazing, godly examples of wives and mothers for me. They are the ones I pretty much always go to for advice on just about anything - parenting, marriage, prayer requests. I am so thankful to God for the family that I have.

And then there are so many friends that I talk to in various ways (or they talk to me) - girls night out, Facebook, blogs. As I talk, listen, and read, I realize how critical it is for us to have this connection. As we talk about any struggles or frustrations we have (not just complaining all the time), we can almost ALWAYS find that we are not the only ones who have these thoughts or feelings. We are not alone. And it is always easier to face something and conquer it when someone else is with you. And it really just makes me feel better to know that I am not alone.

On the other side, I read Facebook posts or blogs about friends' joys and encouragement in being a mother and a wife. Even though most of them do not know their impact, these things really encourage me as a wife and mother to be the best I can be to my husband and children. A lot of them challenge me in many ways.

I just want to encourage all moms to keep communicating with each other. Share all the good and the bad. We all benefit from it one way or another. We help each other to become better moms.

Thank you to all the other moms in my life, including my own, who was and is a good example to me. I realize more things as I grow older that my Mama did and does well as a mother, particularly being a prayer warrior. It's good to know that people who love you are faithful to pray for you.