Seasons of Motherhood

by Victoria Duerstock 

 This week creates for me opportunity to remember sweet memories.  Our family celebrates three birthdays and Father’s day in the month of June and it tends to be a very busy summer month in general. My baby has his birthday this month and this year he turns the big 1-3 – that’s right my baby becomes a teenager.

My thoughts, of course, have been on this birthday this week, and additionally our church had VBS this week.  This is the first week in about 17 years that I didn’t have a child enrolled in a VBS program.  It was very strange to say the least.  Instead of attending, my two youngest were youth helpers for the week. 

I found myself doing a lot of driving this week. Between a teenager with a job and VBS drop off/pick ups, the driving quotient was higher than usual.  Driving down the road one day this week, I thought about how hard this season of parenting is.  With one halfway through college and deciding her next steps, one halfway through high school learning to balance time management to get everything done, and one who is growing into manhood at the speed of light, my thoughts ran the gamut of how much easier it was when they were younger.

This did cause me to laugh. I had to laugh because the truth is it really was difficult when they were little.  A different kind of challenge of course, but difficult just the same. Lack of sleep, lack of ability to take care of basic needs and being completely dependent on me for what seemed like 24 hours each day was a challenge to be sure.  My memory had mellowed though and my memories were definitely sweeter in retrospect than they had been at the time.

Later that same day a friend and I were texting and our conversation covered how much harder things had gotten with juggling our family’s needs. I told her how I’d been thinking about that very thing that day and had remembered how much easier it was when they were younger.  

She texted back –

"and did you think it was hard then?  I remember thinking it was. And now I’m like 'I had a lot more time than I ever realized back then!'” 

 I laughed because I had felt the exact same emotions that day.

The truth is though that each season is it’s own kind of hard. There isn't one "harder" than another - I don't believe it's a competition either. The challenges of raising toddlers and babies are different than school age kids.  Adolescents and teenagers also have different trials than adult children, and during each stage, we have to make adjustments and try to learn how to mother in a slightly different way.  No matter which stage, we must learn to rely fully on the Lord’s help to guide us. 

With wisdom

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously 

to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 

and power

Ephesians 6:1 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Whatever season of motherhood you find yourself in, I pray you’ll start, or continue, to lean in on Jesus.  Bible study, prayer and reliance on His power instead of your own will be the key to navigating the difficult waters.