By Samantha Allred

Self-affirmations are positive statements that can be used to encourage and motivate yourself. When you repeat them often and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes. Here are 5 affirmations that you can use to transform your thoughts about motherhood and inspire you to be a better mom. 

1. I find joy in the everyday moments of my life. 
2. I am grateful for the time I get to spend with my children. 
3. I am an amazing mom, even as I work hard to make improvements. 
4. I will be present and in the moment when talking to my children. 
5. Motherhood is the most important job in the world. 

If you feel like you need a mindset change, give affirmations a try. The key to affirmations is to use them frequently. Work them into a part of your morning routine, such as brushing your teeth or getting dressed. Write them down and post them on your mirror. Upload them to your phone wallpaper so you see them every time you open your phone. Some say them out loud, some repeat them in their mind during meditation, and others write them in a journal. Do whatever works for you. Your thoughts and words have the power to change your mindset and help you achieve your goals. 

Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

By Esperanza DeLaLuz

“I am just a mom.” 

When I hear someone say that, I want to proclaim: You’re doing the most important job on earth!! Raising healthy, happy, productive children deserves more than the lowly phrase, “I am just a mom.” 

Abraham Lincoln, our great president, said, “All that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

Not everyone knows that the angel mother to whom he refers is actually his stepmother. His birth mother died when he was nine and, the following year, his father remarried. Sarah had children of her own, yet she was a loving and devoted mother to all of the children, and she especially nurtured Abraham in his desire to learn and read. 

This is a comforting thought to those of us who are stepmothers, aunts, foster moms, and grandmothers, or who are in other positions of nurturing. The task of mothering is not only the province of those who give birth. To “mother”—which is defined as “to look after kindly and protectively”—is incredibly demanding, and just as incredibly—and critically—important. To mother is a noble task and those who participate in it, to any extent, are doing a great and valuable work.

However, in the midst of diapers, tantrums, mischief, and defiance, it may be a challenge to feel that one is engaged in a noble task. Often it feels like we are in “survival mode.” Roseann Barr once joked that if her children were alive at the end of the day, she had done her job as a mother. 

I know for every mother there are days which feel like that. On those days, it can help to remember Abraham Lincoln’s feelings about his “angel mother,” and recognize that someday it may be your influence that sways the world. 

The next time you are deciding whether to scrub the crayon mural off the wall or frame it, remember Sarah Bush Johnston Lincoln, keep calm and mother on!