Does anyone relate?
I thought you may be blessed by this article. I will print half today and half tomorrow.
You've probably experienced it. Most of us have. The Guilty Mum Syndrome.
It gets its grip on us in a variety of ways, sometimes expected, sometimes taking us completely off guard— the Mother's Day sermon; the sentimental poem about what it means to be the perfect mother; the home school magazine with the elegant, smiling mother on the front, surrounded by her happy (and equally elegant) family; the home school conference with the “I've-got-it-all-together-and-I'm-going-to-help-you-get-it-all-together-too speaker;” the Character Building for Families book that you hope will solve all your family's problems—but instead makes you feel like more of a failure than you already suspect you are.
Guilty Mum Syndrome is one of my weaknesses, and if what I frequently hear from other women is any indication, I would guess that hardly any mother in America is completely immune. There is comfort in knowing that we're not alone, that others have been there—
and still go there frequently.
No, the Character Building for Families lady isn't perfect. Neither are her children. Yes, I do struggle with the concepts (still!) that we have laid out in our books. Our girls still get sloppy about obeying promptly the first time they are told, so we work on it again. I still haven't got the “Mum-isn't-going-to-yell-anymore “thing down. But I'm working on it, and repenting when I fail. Every time we go through Character Building for Families again, I get convicted, and I get my character built a little bit more. I hope the children do, too.
My husband, wonderful man that he is, puts the balance in my life. When he sees me down in the dumps about what a terrible mother I am, he reminds me that our children love the Lord with all their hearts, that they are well-adjusted, happy people, that they aren't neglected or abused. And he encourages me to pick up the pieces of my emotions and go on. He doesn't understand why I go through Guilty Mum Syndrome, but he helps me deal with it.
My children don't understand either. When I am less than kind, they forgive and keep on loving me. I, on the other hand, may beat up on myself for days, or dredge it all up again weeks later. They think this is weird. They are right.
The funny thing about Guilty Mum Syndrome is that it doesn't just hit us when we have actually sinned against the children. It is also triggered by comparing ourselves to exalted ideals we have created in our own minds, or that other people try to put on us.
Here are some of the main areas of guilt that I hear about from mums:
My children aren't motivated.
No, and neither are most everybody else's. Think back to when you were a child attending school. Did you like school— every class, every moment? Probably not.
Let's face it: many things we have to learn in life are not fun. Many children don't like math. Many don't like language arts or music lessons. Some don't like any of their school subjects. It isn't your fault. Doing schoolwork takes self-discipline and perseverance, most admirable character qualities to develop in our children. Our sinful nature is basically lazy. Developing self-discipline and learning to say "no" to our flesh is a life-time growing experience, so why should it surprise us that our children don't like to do things that take effort?
Tell your children that it doesn't matter if they like their schoolwork or not. They are going to do it. It doesn't hurt to gently remind them that schoolwork is their job for Jesus, and that they should do it well for His sake. There have been times when I have reminded my children to get back at their studies about every five minutes. It is a frustrating thing for a mum. Sometimes it makes us want to sit down and bawl.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, however. Keep after them, and by the time they reach young adulthood, they will show signs of maturity, responsibility, and (gasp!) even motivation. Honest! I've seen it happen in my oldest daughter. I have this theory that the love of learning kicks in after we become adults.
My children aren't perfect in public.
Every parent has felt the embarrassment of Johnny doing some stupid thing in public. And it is always worse when it happens at church. It is even worse yet if you are a home school mum, trying to prove to the world that your child is not a social misfit due to home schooling. (In fact, you might just be trying to prove to the world that your children are better than everyone else's because you do home school!) You know the kinds of things children do (and these are just the "church" infractions) - a sudden bout of disrespect that leaves you with your mouth hanging open (guaranteed to happen in front of the pastor's wife or the Sunday School superintendent), kicking little sister until she yelps (at the precise moment that the pastor pauses for emphasis in his sermon), spitting on another child just as Deacon Jones walks by. It makes a mum want to cry. Dads take this stuff in stride, but mums . . . well, we just wonder where we've failed.
Children do dumb things. All of them. Some more than others, but still, all of them. It isn't major crime, it's just immaturity. But we mums tend to beat up on ourselves about it. Maybe children's immaturity is one tool that God uses to keep us humble.
© 2002 by Lee Ann Rubsam. All rights reserved.
I’ll post Part 2 tomorrow.
~ Nancy