There’s a ton of books for Catholic stay-at-home moms and working mothers. But there’s very little help for the work-at-home mom.
Frankly, that stinks.
WAHMs often end up getting the worst of both worlds.
When everything (work, family, and rest) occurs in the same place, it is challenging to set boundaries.
Challenging? Yes.
Impossible? No
As Catholic mothers, we have the same vocation. But God calls us to live out this vocation in diverse ways! Although Tolstoy claimed happy families are all alike, we know holy families are all different. Allow me to highlight 7 different ways Catholic moms can go against the current “super-Catholic” grain and still find sanctity.
A blogger I deeply admire recently wrote about why we call God Father, not mother. (Hint: Because He asked us to!) It’s a great post. Be sure to read it! It’s full of meaty quotes from the catechism. As I read it, I considered why people would want to call God mother.
Those who do so are sincerely questing after God. We all make this mistake occasionally. By making God more like us, we hope to bring Him nearer.
But we are made in His image. We cannot remake Him in our own. Then we are just a series of mirrors reflecting and refracting endlessly on. We do not gain a fruitful creation; only mere illusion.
None of this is necessary! God being Father does not invalidate or diminish my vocation as a mother. After all, He is the author of human motherhood. Trust in Him to imbue your state with everything that is necessary!
We all know that motherhood is a vocation. How that plays out looks different from family to family, and changes as life goes on. There are working moms, at-home moms, single moms, homeschool moms, etc. and significant overlap between groups. I respect every woman filling the occupation God has called her to.
What we’re talking about today isn’t the station, it’s the attitude. What is your attitude towards motherhood? Are you living an accidental life like I was? Here are some red flags, and readjustments, for your mothering perspective.
In Breaking Busy, Alli Worthington tells a story about her childhood jar of marbles. Some were dusty and muddy colored, some were vibrant and glistening. When she removed the dingy ones, the whole effect became more beautiful.
She wraps this story up in a beautiful metaphor. Our shiny marbles represent our unique talents, gifts, and passions. The dirty marbles are the lame expectations and distractions muddying our brilliance.
