mothering is a joy
We are getting ready to head out of town, but I wanted to briefly share about the United Nations CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) conference, documents are being produced that refer to children as “burdens;” with the expressed desire to have the efforts (unpaid care and domestic work) usually performed by mothers “reduced and redistributed” to “national care systems” (the government). Please see the link here. This cannot be! I wish I were able to hug mothers everywhere who struggle, because the truth is, it's hard work! But I cannot think of a greater work that I could be doing. It makes me cringe to hear children referred to as "burdens," and I want to stand up and shout in support of home and family!
Where do I begin with expressing my thoughts and feelings about motherhood? I think there is nothing in the world that brings out deeper feelings than motherhood. I love those women out there with mother hearts who do not yet have children of their own. I love women who put their greatest efforts into mothering and seek to magnify the role God has given them in their own unique way. We are all different, and we have different circumstances, but I believe as we seek to support and lift each other, great things will happen! Because God does not leave us alone in our stewardship. Never.
Many groups in the world are operating under the title of empowering women. I believe in empowering women! But I believe many of these groups are going about it in all the wrong ways! I believe that one of the greatest places we can empower and support women is in the home. Because a strong home builds strong people who have a compass and feel self-worth and the stability of familial love. The family is the basic building block of society, and our society will rise or fall depending upon the collective strength or weakness of families. Some of my favorite words from Neal A. Maxwell are these:
"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time."
No one, no government entity can take your place as a mother. And when it comes to true influence, I cannot think of a greater place and a greater purpose than shaping my children's lives in how they see the world than by doing the simple, everyday things such as doing the dishes, working in the garden together, fixing dinner, going for a walk, and especially in working through familial conflict or discussing world events. As mothers, the time we take with our children matters. It shapes lives, it builds character, it forms world views, and it is an opportunity to build self-confidence and identity.
I echo David O. Mckay's words: "The home is the first and most effective place to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor, virtue, self control, the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and privilege of life. Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home."
Mother, no matter how simple, please join your unique and irreplaceable voices in expressing why mothering matters to you! Please tag your posts with #MomStory #EmpoweringMothers #CSW61. As we support one another, we grow in strength. Truly, mothering is a joy. May God bless each of you. xo
