Sacrifices of Motherhood

Motherhood requires sacrifice. 

As I play the very unhealthy, yet seemingly inevitable, game of mom-comparison I find that different moms sacrifice different parts of themselves and their lives pre-kids. 

Here’s my list.

I will sacrifice reading.  I love to read.  I have a degree in English—that required LOTS of reading.  My roommate used to say if she read as much as I do, then her eyeballs would fall out and roll down the hallway.  That never happened, but for a few years of my life, I dedicated a significant percentage of my time to reading.  I will read again when my kids are older.

I will sacrifice a neat home.  If I hear you complain about how someone’s home is dirty or untidy, then you will never be invited to my home.  I have two kids age 3 and under.  I know a mom of four who keeps a spotless home.  I envy her, but I will not strive to be her.  I will live in clutter, knowing the day will come when I miss seeing Thomas trains and Eric Carle books scattered around my home.

I will sacrifice peer friendships.  I have an amazing support system within my family—a husband, a twin sister, a plethora of helpful parents.  I interact with co-workers, paid and unpaid, who care about me and whom I care about.  I relate to teenagers—yes, teenagers—who sometimes grow to know and accept me, with my strengths and weaknesses, in deep and authentic ways.  I know there are people I would love being friends with.  I know I could learn from them and grow with them.  Maybe there will be time later.  For now, my time goes to my family, my job, and a bit to my home…and that feels like too much.

I will not sacrifice food.  I love to cook.  I will cook when I can.  I love to sit down and eat with my family.  I will not be like the mom in the film, A Christmas Story, who didn’t eat warm meals so that she could literally wait on her husband and kids.  I will demonstrate that Mom is a part of the family, not the servant of the family.

I will not sacrifice sleep.  Much of this I cannot help.  When I can, I will sleep instead of read or clean house (see above).  I can function without reading the latest Picoult novel or washing those 5 dishes in the sink.  I cannot function and be a decent person, mom, wife, employee, or pastor on no sleep.

I will not sacrifice my self-worth.  For me, this means I will not end up on a Mommy Makeover show with flat, stringy hair, no make-up, and mom jeans.  I will not.  Now, this is a slippery slope, and I don’t wait to slide into sinful vanity.  But, I will remember that while I may have baby excrement under my fingernails at times, I am not excrement.  I will shower every day.  Most days, I will present myself in a way that makes me feel good about me.  Some days, I will present myself in a way that makes me feel great and knocks my husband dead again.

Sometimes I feel guilty about my list of things I will not sacrifice.  I watch moms devote every ounce of their energy to their kids while their wet hair is in a ponytail, and they’re wearing an oversized tee over mom jeans.  I feel guilty for being so vain.  But, my suspicion is that they also have their lists of what they will not sacrifice.