Revolution is defined as a sudden, extreme, or complete change in the way people live, work, etc. Many people have been forced into a revolution recently, but I’m ready to embark on a revolution of my own—a Mom Revolution.
Do you know that, according to statistics, the demographic for moms who research parenting subjects is nearly exclusively moms of babies? Why? What happens to us as our children get older? Do we just become more confident with the way we are parenting? Or do we just give up and stop caring? For me, becoming the best mom I can be is a life-long process–maybe I’m a slow learner, but I like to think it’s because I don’t want to settle for less than God has for me!
My eldest son is 15 years old. I have precious little time left with him before sending him out, fully-grown, to make his own decisions. Some days, I can’t wait for that moment. Other days, I can’t help but think, “Have I been the mom I wanted to be?” “Have I been the mom they need me to be?”
I have spent the last four years just hanging on for dear life due to chronic illness. I only had enough energy to meet my children’s basic needs and my standards lowered to: clean, educated kids eating healthy food off clean plates. The rest had to go by the wayside for awhile.
If you’re in that place—it’s OKAY! My kids have learned so much from that time and they have benefitted greatly in many ways from having to become more independent at a younger age than most. I am confident it will serve them well because my mom was chronically ill for a long period during my childhood, and there was a lot of good that came from it!
But now that I’m slowly reclaiming my health and I have found a treatment plan that is helping, I have some time to make up for with my kids!
So, I am embarking on a 30-day Revolution. A challenge for myself and for you, if you’re up for it, to become better moms. It’s just like a work-out plan for me—start small and keep going until habits are changing. We are constantly changing. We are either getting better or worse. Relationships rarely stand still. What are your relationships with your kids doing? Getting better…or worse?
Are you in?
Let’s start with Five of the Easiest Steps we can take to make this a successful journey for each of us.
- Set Specific, Attainable Goals—This is important. Simply stating, “I want to be a better mom” as a goal will get you…disappointment only. You need something by which to measure. Think of one, overall, attainable goal that will make you a better mom. For example, maybe you want to become more organized, so there is less stress in the home. Maybe you want to be more spontaneous so there is more fun in the home. I’m setting my goal to spend more time doing things with my kids. I am usually too busy doing the tasks that need doing to take time to do things with my kids. What is your goal?
- Write it Down—We’ve already discussed the importance of writing down your goals. (If you missed that, click here). Seriously, write it down and post it somewhere you’ll see it daily!
- Make a Game Plan—What are the next three steps you need in order to achieve your goal? Write steps that are tangible and doable. For example, here is my game plan:
- Schedule in “activity time” on my weekly calendar—this is activity time for me with my kids. (And with the calendar pretty much CLEARED right now, it’s a perfect time to make this into a habit!) If one kid is at an extra-curricular activity, (once they start back up again) that’s a great time to do something with the others.
- Brainstorm a list of fun things to do that do NOT take a lot of planning or a lot of time.
- Spend at least 10 minutes a day talking to each of my children individually.
- Stay Focused—the most successful people know exactly how to get back on track when they are unable to meet their goals. If you are finding that your game plan is not working for your schedule, don’t let it de-rail you! Quickly re-evaluate so you can stay focused on meeting your goals!
- Celebrate EVERY Success—big and small. If you are not intrinsically motivated, give yourself a reward when you meet your goals. It doesn’t have to be big. It could be a new song on your playlist. Or if you meet your overall goal, buy yourself a new pair of shoes! If you are intrinsically motivated, be sure to check those items off your list so you can feel that accomplishment!
Okay, friends! What do you think? Are you up for it? I hope I’m up for it! I would love to make these my new habits and I’m ready to put in the work. Please share in the comments what your goals are—I’d love to help you achieve them!