But this clip got me thinking….I am a mom, I have mom friends, and many days my husband is out of town, so I feel like I am schlepping it on my own. What does it really mean to be a mama? Because it means something different to all of us, but it also means the same. We all have experienced mom guilt and mom comparison, Momenoughness, if you will. It hits us all, but I think when we really think deep down what it means to be a mama, we all come out on the other side the same, even if we take different paths to get there. We all want to have momenoughness. We all want our kids to look back, and think she loved us well, our hearts were safe with her.
A friend of mine posted the P&G commercial on her Facebook page and said, her dreams for her child may look different than them being an olympic athlete. She said something to the affect of; my dream for my kid is more along the lines, to be brave, and kind, to be passionate, and if they see something wrong in the world they do something about it.
And I would say that is my dream too. Do I want them to be strong?…Yes, because with strength comes confidence to do the right thing even when they are scared and fearful. But most of all I want them to be compassionate and to love others well, the way Christ loves.
As I sat and listened to the composer of this song in the commercial, Ludovico Einaudi (who is one of my favorites) I made my own commercial in my head.
The one where the mom was showing acts of kindness, love, and compassion, to those around her on a daily basis and her kids took on this because it was instilled in them, it was just life to them...
The commercial shows a mom getting cupcakes with her excited little boy, as they walk out the front door, holding hands-with cupcakes in the other one, she hears a girl across the street being verbally abused, by what looks like a boyfriend. The girl walks away from the confrontation her head down, and tears streaming down her face.
The next scene shows the little boy and his mom following her, stopping to ask a crying, broken girl if she is ok.
From the back of the car the little boy, who just got his favorite vanilla cupcake, says,” here mom-give this to her, it will make her happy.” The commercial would continue to play similar scenes like this of seeing and doing. The kids seeing and then one day doing acts of love with their kids.
You see I go through my day coaching others, it’s what I choose to do. And it is my most favorite thing. To unlock the potential someone didn’t even know they had in them. In the physical world I see people lift, and jump, and do really hard things. Not just in the gym but spreading into their life. It feeds my soul all day long.
I love coaching. Not just my KHOP girls to lift and be strong, but everyday I am looking with big wide eyes for someone I can encourage today, someone I can really see, and let them know just how much they have to offer their world. Because everyone needs an un-LOCKER, someone who unlocks that doubt, or that fear; someone who says, "I believe in my heart, you can."
I look around all day searching and finding, and yet the biggest difference makers, the potential that needs to be un-locked every day, is sitting right in front of me:
with sleepy eyes, a baby blue blanket draped around him, her with sticky syrupy hands and crazy bed head. Every morning I have them right in front of me. No searching needed. As a mom I was gifted the key. The key to unlock their potential, their heart, their bravery, their compassion, their strength.
I have the key, and so many times I lose it. Just like I lose my car keys, and the house keys, and the key on the ring that I don’t even know where it goes. Many times, to be honest I see momm-ing as another thing on my to do list.
Carpool-check
Play date- check
Homework- check
Workout-check
Dinner-check
Get kids to bed:
Brush teeth
Read story
Sing song
Pray
Tickle back
Favorite parts of the day
Check, check, check, and DONE, finally.... Done.
And honestly, sometimes the DONE, is my most favorite part. I turn out the lights and think, another day we survived, another day we made it. Another day I might feel guilt for losing my temper or not reading another story because I am too tired.
But I think if I look with fresh eyes, with the eyes of the potential un-locker-the key holder, I may see things differently. I want to be wide-eyed and searching everyday. What are my kids gifts, their passion? How can we use those to serve others, to help them change their world?
How can I provide assurance and calm in their turbulent world? How can I unlock their potential everyday? Because that’s all my kids really need in this big sometimes scary world. They just need a mom who says, “in my heart, I believe you can.”