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What do you think is the hardest part of parenting?
Personally, I think the hardest part is being a pillar for your children and your family on those days/weeks/months (even years) when your comfort comes crumbling down.
Sometimes life gets tough, and often it feels like being a parent just makes the tough times…
Even tougher.
Why? Because you are not only dealing with life’s inopportune punches, you are also dealing with how these unexpected life blows are affecting your children. And knowing this, makes any challenge harder.
Yet there is one underused simple solution to dealing with difficult problems - both big and small.
That solution is: support.
And that’s what Mothers’ Center is to me - a form of support.
Mothers’ Center - The Big Picture
The National Association of Mothers’ Centers (NAMC) is a non-profit organization that is a means of support for parents everywhere. (Not just in locations that have physical Mothers’ Centers.)
Did you know…
- Mothers’ Center is learning and teaching empathy and camaraderie to parents (in person at centers and online via this blog and our webinar series)
- Mothers’ Center is resources for families, and childcare, and work life, and postpartum
- Mothers’ Center is advocacy (and providing advocacy for mothers during times when we can’t always advocate for ourselves)
But here is the best part: the NAMC strives to honor what we do as parents, and they work at helping moms everywhere to see that their contribution (YOUR contribution!) as a mom is valued.
Mothers’ Center - On a Personal Note
Yet I realize that the big picture is not always the easiest to connect with, so on a more personal scale, Mothers’ Center has provided me with the type of support that I needed during crisis times in my life.
- Times like a sleepless night with a feverish child.
- Or periods when I had to deal with an illness and/or a death in the family.
- And also those times when I was faced with the pressures of work (for me), school (for my kids), nursing a baby and so much more.
Furthermore, over a year and a half ago I struggled with a larger-than-life blow. During this difficult time I fought hard to maintain control of my emotions and be as “brave” as I could for the sake of my own children.
And this is primarily why I feel one of the hardest parts of parenting is being a pillar for your children - because I have been there, trying my hardest to not completely mask my own emotions, while at the same time working to tone down my emotions for the sake of my kids.
My friends within my local Mothers’ Center were there for me and my family during this hard personal time of struggle, during a time where I needed support both personally and as a mother.
Supporting a Mother to Make the Hard Parts of Parenting Easier
Support in often underrated, yet in truth it can be life saving. Every mother is different, but the one thing that I think we all need at some time or another is support.
The NAMC looks to put us as moms first, by supporting us wherever our walk through motherhood takes us.
On Saturday, May 5th, 2012 the NAMC will be holding the 3rd Annual Mile for Mothers’ Walk on the Long Beach Boardwalk to help support their 35-year-old non-profit organization.
And in the tradition of Mothers’ Center support, I am now asking for YOUR support. Yes YOU - all the readers of the Mothers Central Blog!
If you live in the Long Beach Area you can physically support the cause by joining us Saturday, May 5th from 9:30 a.m. - 12 noon on the Boardwalk at Riverside in Long Beach, New York and help us “Walk a mile in Mom’s Shoes.” Bring family, bring friends… it is a fun event for everyone! (Find more information here.)
If you can’t physically be there you can still help by virtually joining the Mothers Central Blog Walk Team and donating as little or as much as you can financially. (All donations are tax deductible, and any donation over $35 makes you eligible for a NAMC membership.
Support is vital in motherhood.
Consider supporting NAMC’s journey and mothers’ journeys everywhere,
wherever their walk through motherhood takes them.
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Leave a Comment and Consider Donating. What do you think the hardest part of parenting is? What experiences have you had with Mothers’ Center that have supported you as a parent?
