Control :: Facing the Uncertainty of Motherhood with a Hug

If you ask me if I caught the news, my answer is no. Pre-kids, I prided myself on being well-informed. Now? My anxiety ridden mom-brain can’t take it. It’s terrifying. Not because it’s more dangerous now than it’s ever been, (this is not a political post) but because I have so much more to lose. So much more I want to control. And no real solutions to offer.

I know I can’t fix the world. And I know I have to let my children out into it. But when I start to feel overwhelmed, it’s not as hopeless as it seems. There are things I can control.

Each time my boys wake me up before the sun, I can greet them with a smile instead of a grunt.

When they demand my attention for the 100th time I can give it to them.

My house can be a place of hugs at bedtime and magic adventures in the afternoon.

I can show them love and support. And when I fail (because of course I will), I can ask for forgiveness.

When they are at school, I can’t control their classmates. I can’t prevent hurt feelings or broken hearts. But I can work hard to raise my boys into good men. Men who share kind words. Men who protect instead of harm. Men who love.

I don’t have any political solutions. But I can take a breath and choose a better reaction. It only takes a moment to give a kiss or a word of encouragement. It only costs me a few wrinkles to choose baby snuggles over laundry folding.

So I will work on controlling what I can, pray for what I can’t, and hope the effort I put it now will help to better my corner of the world for the future.