Motherhood Goals

I saw this topic come up on Monday on a couple of blogs I read and it made me stop and think.  What are my goals for motherhood?  The Man & I talk about things we’d like to/want to accomplish as parents but we don’t have them written down.  I’m going write them down and share them with you here.  They are in no particular order, just how they popped into my head.

1.  For Munchkin to know, follow & love Jesus

First and foremost I what I want is for Munchkin to know Jesus and follow him.  I want her to love him with all of her heart, soul and mind.  I don’t want her to believe because we do, rather I want her to make her faith her own.  I know the process won’t be easy but it will be worth it. 

2.  For Munchkin to know she’s loved

I want Munchkin to know how much she is loved.  I don’t want her to ever doubt our love for her or for her to think that there is anything she could do to lose it.  I also want her to know that she can come to me for any reason and I’ll still love her.  I might be disappointed in her choices but I’ll still love her.  NOTHING will ever change that!

3. To be patient

As Munchkin gets a little older, I know I’m going to need to be patient with her.  A child doesn’t do things as fast or as well as an adult.  I want to be able to allow her to take the time to learn and enjoy life.  I don’t want to be rushing her.  This one is going to be hard for me but it is something I think is important so I’ll work on it.

4. For Munchkin to be a reader

I love reading.  Part of the reason I love reading so much is that my mom loves reading.  Some of my earliest memories are of my mom reading.  I want that for Munchkin.  I want her to see me reading and I want her to love reading.  There’s nothing like getting lost in a great story!  We’re already talking about when we’ll read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to her.

5. To have a healthy marriage

I want my marriage to The Man to remain good and healthy and strong so our kiddos are secure.  I don’t want them worrying about us.  I want to give them a firm foundation and I think that having a good marriage is a part of that. 

6. To say YES

I have a tendency to say no a lot, especially at first.  As Munchkin gets older, I don’t want to be saying no everything she asks to do something.  I’d like to say yes more than I say no. 

7. To have Munchkin be a functioning, contributing member of society

When Munchkin leaves my house at 18, I’d like for her to know how to take care of herself and her future family.  She’ll be able to take care of a house (dishes, cleaning, laundry, etc).  I also want her to be able to think for herself, to not just follow along because everyone else it or someone else says too.  I want her to be able to object and articulate why. I’m not always so good at this but The Man is.  Daddy will be helping a lot with this one!

8. To be healthy & active 

I offer Munchkin healthy, nutritious, home cooked food.  I’ve also started exercising regularly.  Part of the reason I do these things is to be an example to Munchkin.  We only have one body and we need to take care of it!

9. To be present

It is easy for me to get caught up in everything that I need to, from dishes to laundry to cooking dishes to running errands.   I want to make sure that I take time to just be with Munchkin.  To play little people and read books now and to have late night talks and movies(or whatever) when she’s older.  I want to be that steady always there person that she knows she can turn to at any time for anything. 

10. To know the importance of family

Family is important.  Even though I don’t have siblings, I do have a cousin who is like my sister.  I’m so thankful for her and our relationship.  I also have other family that I’m close too.  I want Munchkin to be close to her family.  I hope that if she has any siblings that they will be close (though I have no idea how to go about encouraging that…we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.) 

11. To enjoy being a mom

I want to enjoy this crazy ride called motherhood.  So far it’s been harder than I ever thought it would be.  It’s also been so much more fulfilling and fun that I ever thought it would be.  So far I’ve enjoyed Munchkin being a baby.  As she moves into toddlerhood, I want to enjoy the now and not miss the past or get worried about what’s to come.  I guess this ties in with the last one, as I want to enjoy the now.  There are good and bad in each stage.  I think it’s much more productive to focus on the good than dwell on the bad.  (Feel free to check with me when she’s two though!) 

12. To have a happy childhood

Growing up, my family wasn’t rich but I had what I needed and a lot of what I wanted.  We didn’t take extravagant vacations every year and while I did have to wait to get a Nintendo, I did get one.  I was able to go to camp and do dance and swim lessons. I want Munchkin’s childhood to be like that.  I want her to enjoy being a kid.  I want her to have good, fun memories of growing up. 

 

These go for any other kids we have as well.  I just say Munchkin cause she’s the one that’s here at the moment!  And really, these are just the tip of the iceberg of what I want for Munchkin!  If I were to write them all down…I don’t think I could.

 

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