Welcome to Mom Motivation Mondays where weekly contributing writers share their motherhood experiences to encourage you to find the joy in being a mom.
{This week: Post by Lauren}
As a new mom I received a lot of advice from family and friends. Some of it was welcomed and some of it was unsolicited. I was soon overwhelmed!
How was I supposed know what to do with this little bundle resting in my arms? I felt the new mom worry and I was terrified of making the wrong move.
It’s not easy sorting through all the parenting advice you receive and figuring out what works for you!
How to Sort Through All the Parenting Advice You Receive
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Stop Comparing
A few months into motherhood I started to fall into the trap of comparison.
How is her baby sleeping through the night already!?
Why is my breastfeeding experience so hard?
This is a dangerous game to play.
I soon learned I needed to find what worked for me. Although I appreciate receiving wisdom from other moms, I learned to stop comparing. Every child is different. Not every experience in motherhood will match someone else’s experience. And guess what? That is okay!
These Christian parenting books help you keep perspective and a positive mindset.
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Filter Advice
Have you ever looked at the parenting section in a bookstore? There are hundreds of books! On sleep training alone there are over a 1,000 books.
How are you supposed to figure out which method will work for you?
I’ve created a filter in my mind to help me sort through all the parenting advice I receive. I use the discernment God has given me to figure out what is best for our family.
I pray about the parenting challenges I face and seek God’s help in raising our children. I also ask myself, “Does the advice I’m receiving match the values our family upholds?” If it does, then I try it. If it doesn’t work, I don’t feel like a failure.
It’s okay if it the best parenting advice in the world doesn’t work for your family. Do what is best for you and your children.
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Talk to Your Spouse
My husband is my helpmate. Although I stay at home with the kids and spend a lot of the day with them while my hubby is at work, he is the head of our house. When I want to try something new we talk it over first. We come to an agreement on how we want to handle parenting.
It’s tempting to avoid these kinds of discussions because they aren’t particularly fun. I found it’s so important to be on the same page as my husband when it comes to raising our children.
Talk it out. You won’t be sorry you did.
How do you sort through all the parenting advice you receive? How do you find what works for you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Lauren has a background in school psychology and recently became a stay at home mom. She loves empowering women to parent joyful, healthy, Godly children. Come find support in motherhood, faith, healthy living, relationships and more as Lauren journeys through life as a daughter, wife and mother at her blog, Heart of Deborah. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.
