To all my SAHMs, I recently had a profound moment in motherhood when I looked out the kitchen sink window while making lunch for my two little girls. I thought to myself: I do pretty much the exact same thing every day. I wanted to laugh and then cry.
A wave of grief filled me for the slightest millisecond. No, no, I thought. This is not something to grieve over. I must find joy in these monotonous rhythms of motherhood.
Both of my girls are still very young, two and almost one years old, so I’m in a season of literally doing everything for them. Any mother can relate to this though; from wiping butts, to cutting the crust off, to taking them in and out of the car seat, bathing them, and clothing them. These are not complaints, but a reflection of all the monotonous actions I do every single day as a mama. Since I have the blessing of staying at home, I consider my role to be a homemaker. Not only do I tend to our children, but I must also tend to the house. Cleaning, cooking, washing, folding, organizing, and any other household verbiage you can think of.
In my day to day routines, I quite literally complete the same tasks over and over again with no one but my babbling children to cheer me on (happy tear because I love them so). But I think sometimes our providing husbands and working friends forget that we don’t have another adult to interact with throughout our days at home—unless that is we leave the house of course. Again, this is not a complaint but a description of the stay at home mom life.
This is why we must find joy in the monotonous. We must, mamas.
I recently wrote a blog post on my website titled “Enjoying the SAHM Life: Loving the ‘Stay at Home’ Part” where I go into more detail about the rhythms, routines, and habits you create as a mom who is at home with her kiddos—whether you actually stay at home most of the time, or you are an on-the-go type of mama. Your ordinary, mundane weekly tasks of raising your children is creating the life you and them are living. We must be in the habit of cultivating joy. Do not tell yourself that you are ‘settling’ for the SAHM life. Whether you chose this role, or your husband asked you to be at home, God has led you to be the 24/7 nurturer of your children. Yes, that means Saturday and Sunday you’re still on the job mama! You have the power to create the life you give your children. Choose to find joy in the repetitive tasks you do day in and day out. It’s your perspective on motherhood that will make up the very heart of your home.
Find this post first published on my Substack account here.
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