The "Not Enoughs" and Why Mamas Need to Believe in Themselves

I’ve been working on a new project. Actually, it’s an old project that was left unfinished earlier in the year so I could focus my energies on my college student book and calendar. But now I’m back and very excited about my newest book, which will be coming soon. It’s called How Mamas Show Love, and it’s a read-aloud picture book for children around 5 years old. It shows the many ways mamas all around the world show the love they feel for their kids, not in words but in actions. For example, getting up to help a sick child in the middle of the night? That’s an act of love. Rushing home at the end of a day at work? Another act of love. Finding and washing all the stinky socks and other laundry? Definitely an act of love! These everyday acts, often overlooked, are the quiet declarations of a mother's devotion, building a strong connection through the ordinary moments of life.

It’s easy for both mothers and children alike to take these actions for granted, not to see them for the loving actions they are. I know I’ve certainly been there. I often struggle with the “Not Enoughs.” You know, that feeling that other parents have it more together than you? See, I don’t think to leave love notes for my kids in their lunches or around the house. I often miss the one school email with the signup for THAT event. We don’t have the house everyone wants to come to. I’m not the home room parent. One time I even volunteered and the teacher didn’t bother to reply to my email - I was that low on the list of desired candidates!

There are days (or even weeks and months!) when it’s easy for me to get caught up looking at what I don’t do instead of what I do. 

But I/we must be doing a few things right, because our kids are pretty fantastic and mostly normal! 

And that’s what inspired my new book. It’s a reminder to both children and mothers alike that love is found in the details. It can be found in having an innate sense of where the shin guards are hiding, remembering the friend’s name, waking everyone up (mostly) on time, keeping everyone fed no matter how tired you are. 

It’s a reminder that you’ve got this, because you do! 

Can this message expand beyond motherhood? Absolutely! Maybe the point is really to give ourselves some grace, some support, and not to beat ourselves up. If you’ve got a case of the Not Enoughs, I’m here to tell you: You Are Enough!

We're all on this journey together, navigating the beautiful chaos of life and striving to do our best. So let's celebrate the small victories, acknowledge our efforts, and remember that our unique ways of showing up are, in fact, enough. Never doubt that the love you share, in all its forms, truly makes a difference.

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