April 7, 2008...3:09 pm
Motherhood - “No One Perfect Way”
“There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each has different challenges, different abilities, different skills and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother in each family.” ~ M. Russell Ballard (LDS General Conference, April 6, 2008, PM Session)
This statement truly hit home for me. How often do we compare ourselves and our children to the other mothers and kids around us in our neighborhood, or at work, or at Church, or in our friendships and families or even in the blogosphere? I know I inadvertently do it more than I should.
But this quote spoke to my heart. It reassured me and brought me peace that I personally know, along with my husband and the help of the Lord, what is best for me and my precious little ones.
We all need to learn to better trust our own mother’s intuition, not what is said around us. Sure it can be helpful to glean as much information as we can from other sources, but don’t forget to tailor it to your own individual family.
“There is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.” ~ M. Russell Ballard
37 Comments
April 7, 2008 at 3:25 pm
This was possibly my favorite conference talk, though there were quite a few good ones to choose from. Even more than usual, I thought.
April 7, 2008 at 3:56 pm
wasn’t that a wonderful talk? and his statement not only reassured me (as it did for you,) but also reminded me not to be judgmental of other mothers when their ways are different.
i am so grateful to belong to a church that honors motherhood and teaches us that we can fulfill our divine potential through this hallowed role.
April 7, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I did love that talk. Of course.
April 7, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Hear hear!
I do that all the time =( And I shouldn’t =)
April 7, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I had tears in my eyes during this whole talk! What a way to end conference, huh?
April 7, 2008 at 4:39 pm
It was a nice talk. I look forward to reading and re-reading and posting parts of it on my fridge…
p.s. You’re a wonderful mom to your children. They love you and are so lucky to have you!
April 7, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Oh yes, I thought that talk was fantastic!
April 7, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I admit that at first I was kinda bummed. Wait! Didn’t he forget to say that while no one way is perfect, (how I do it) is MUCH better than the alternative.
I’m printing out the section on what children should do for their mothers to hang in the bathroom.
I loved Pres. Monson’s personal reminisces right after that, too. That’s when I KNEW things would be okay.
April 7, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Such a lovely, lovely talk.
April 7, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I’m glad you found my blog off of Yarnation! I enjoy reading your blog.
I enjoyed that talk a lot. I really liked the quote “enjoy the doing more than getting it done”. But I agree, it’s easy to compare and not trust what we are doing is the best for our family.
Congrats on the pregnancy!
April 7, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Yes…I loved that talk! It brought tears, smiles, and wonderful feelings of joy for the wonderful journey of motherhood. I need to remember not to compare myself to other moms too. Thanks for this beautiful post!
April 7, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I loved this talk! It was so wonderful to hear encouragement from a church leader and to be reminded how important our role as mothers are. I love the part about how we can know what is best for our own children and the knowledge that Heavenly Father wants us to succeed and will tells us how to do it.
April 7, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I love conference. It never fails to uplift me, and at the same time help me strive to be better. Loved this post!
April 7, 2008 at 9:33 pm
this quote really resonates with me too…it’s funny it is one of the many things i wrote down. his whole talk was amazing.
all of conference this year left me spiritually uplifted and feeling like i had just soaked up a beautiful feast of love and all things good.
April 7, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Amen.
April 7, 2008 at 10:56 pm
That talk was too wonderful. I can’t wait to read and re-read it and quote parts of it daily to my children and husband!
When he was talking about kids helping their Mom’s my kids both said, “We already do all that stuff.” Hardly! Well, sometimes. And then he said they should tell her they love her, they both ran over and jumped on me. Ya, that was a good talk.
April 8, 2008 at 6:35 am
I missed conference, computer issues and not on tv here, but my mom made sure to call me Sunday night and ask if I had heard this talk and then strongly suggest that we sit down and listen to that talk as a family even if we missed the rest. I think I will make a point of doing that today.
April 8, 2008 at 6:58 am
There are going to be many quotes taken from this talk. I love this one. I too have the problem with comparing myself to others, even though I know it is a ridiculous thing to do. It is a very good reminder, and one that makes mothering a lot easier. Thanks for posting it. =)
April 8, 2008 at 7:42 am
Thanks…I needed to hear that today! Loved that talk!!!
April 8, 2008 at 9:54 am
What beautiful words. I’m so grateful that we have inspired leaders to help us along our life journeys.
April 8, 2008 at 10:20 am
I loved his talk too, and what really hit home for me is how much of mothering I try to brave alone. I really need to get on my knees more often! I also liked his counsel for husbands.
April 8, 2008 at 10:21 am
I loved that talk! It was so good! It is so hard not to compare! I hate that I end up doing it, too. I should make a goal of that, huh?
April 8, 2008 at 10:31 am
Amen.
Hope things are going well!
April 8, 2008 at 10:46 am
Excellent words of wisdom. It’s way too easy to compare ourselves to others and when we do, we always come up on the short end. I agree with you about learning from each other and then adapting what we learn to our own situation.
April 8, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Loved that talk. It spoke to my heart.
Love you all
Mom
April 8, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I too loved that talk. So many good tidbits in there. I loved how he talked to the kids too. And husbands. So cool.
Now to remember it!
April 9, 2008 at 7:25 am
I LOVED his talk and wanted to jump through the TV screen and give him a huge hug. I kept telling my kids to pay attention to this one–HEY! Listen!–but of course I don’t think they got the message (mine or his).
April 9, 2008 at 8:46 am
I have certainly been guilty of comparing my children to others. My first born was (and for the most part, still is) an angel. She really could do no wrong. So, I admittedly thought all other children were horrible and thought I was just a great Mom!
My second child was born with medical problems and is considered a “special needs” kid. Guess who solidly got put in place? ME. I realized how little I actually had to do with my daughter’s behavior, and had to learn how to be a Mom all over again.
April 10, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I loved this talk as well. It is so wonderful to hear leaders who fully support the family, especially women’s roles in the family.
I can’t wait to read the all the talks again in the Ensign!
April 11, 2008 at 6:36 am
I’ll add my amen. I know his words were just what so many of us needed to hear. We all need to quit comparing ourselves to others and judging others as well. It’s best just to know that everyone is doing everything they can to get it right.
Easier said than done! Ü
April 11, 2008 at 4:58 pm
great quote! i totally agree! and you’re a great mom - don’t doubt!
April 11, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Loved the talk- I am sure we will be hearing more about it- it is like a good, better, best thing! Great site! Thanks
April 12, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I’ll give an ‘Amen’ to that!
April 14, 2008 at 10:17 am
So true. I wish women were more focused on supporting eachother rather than bringing them down for “doing it wrong.” You just have to be confident that you, and only you, know what’s best for your situation and listen to your intuition - it can be so powerful.
April 14, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Hi I found your blog on the net. I love the title “No one Perfect Way” And I agree that there is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Family is a blessing.
April 21, 2008 at 9:59 pm
I love this post. Next to my computer is one of my favorite quotes on a little notecard. It says, “There’s no way to be a perfect mother–and a million ways to be a good one.” –by Jill Churchill. I’m thinking Jill learned this the hard way, and I take much comfort from that! xoxo
May 1, 2008 at 11:47 am
If there was a perfect way to be a mother or to be a parent then we would have perfect children. Man, what a boring world this would be. Plus we wouldn’t have anything good to blog about!
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