My Mom mothered in a world where she simply relied on her God-given motherly instincts to guide her, while infusing the positive lessons she learned from my grandmother to do the best she could in her own mothering journey.
And THAT is the legacy that I want to carry on… and pass on.
A legacy of parenting with authenticity. Not a legacy of being the exact mother that my mother was and the mother that HER mother was before her… but a legacy of doing the very best that I can… in the situation that I’m in … as the person that I am.
A legacy of trusting my gut and not an online source. A legacy of turning to my faith and not to a Google search bar. A legacy of relying on family and not my social media feed. A legacy of doing the best I can, and not doing what everyone else thinks is best.
Maybe that’s where that peace, freedom and love for which I’ve been looking lies… in simply being the mom that I authentically am, so that my kids get the best version of me.
That way, when they look back on their own childhood with favor one day as they are parenting their own children through THEIR early years, they will be inspired to carry on that authentic parenting legacy.
Because I don’t want them to be me.
I want them to see me being exactly who I am, and be inspired to be the best version of THEMSELVES as a parent one day.
Just like my Mom inspired me.
(I love you, Mama)
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This article originally appeared at The Thinking Branch.
