TherMOMeters — 7 Things Motherhood Has Taught Me

(A warm, funny, slightly nostalgic ode to the messy, holy calling of being Mom.)

When I was in 6th grade, I took a class called “Career Exploratory,” which was essentially a room full of preteens pretending to know how to type (honestly, do schools even teach typing anymore?). We also learned about different careers, which, at that age, ranked about as high on my list as cleaning my room or willingly eating lima beans.

Because at the time, all I wanted to do was:

ride my bike
collect Beanie Babies... it was the 90's, y'all
draw -- there was no YouTube at the time to teach this skill
hang with friends -- no cell phones! Glorious!
and race home from school to watch TRL on MTV

Life was transitioning—that strange middle-school twilight zone where you’re still a kid but suddenly expected to think about adulthood. I wasn’t in a hurry to grow up, so writing an essay about what I wanted to be someday felt… ridiculous.

But when the moment came to fill out the classic prompt:
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

I wrote my dream with absolute confidence:
“I want to be an artist and a mom.”

Enter my feminist teacher, Mrs. Whitehead (a name that still makes me wrinkle my nose a little), who read it and said, with the kind of condescension only a middle-school teacher can perfect:

“A mom? It’s okay… we have a whole semester for you to figure it out.”

Ma’am.
Please.

What’s more important than being a mom?

I loved my American Girl dolls.
I loved nurturing, creating, imagining.
And deep down, I think I longed for the kind of warm, connected family moments I didn’t always get growing up. My parents were two extreme introverts, my dad struggled with bipolar disorder, and my sister—well, let’s just say we were more mortal enemies than besties at that point.

Side note --- I distinctly remember Career Day. A mortician came in. I did not sleep for weeks. Creepy is not my thing. I was emotionally fragile and highly imaginative. Worst combination.

Fast forward:
I’m 40.
I’m a full-time mom.
I’m an artist and writer.
And surprise! I even turned out to be a teacher.

So… take that, Mrs. Whitehead!

And after all these years, after all the spilled juice boxes, lost shoes, clogged drains, boo-boo's, bedtime tantrums, frustrating study time, breaking up fights, and the endless chorus of “Mom! Mom! MOM!”—I’ve learned a lot.

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Here are:

7 Things Motherhood Has Taught Me

1. Parenting Is Hard. Like… Crazy Hard.

Let’s be honest. Motherhood is the most beautiful, exhausting, joy-filled, sanctifying workout the human soul will ever endure.

It’s waking up early, staying up late, reheating your coffee 12 times, praying for patience, discovering someone used the good scissors to cut slime, and wondering if you’ve said the words “brush your teeth” more times than you’ve taken actual breaths.

Yet Scripture elevates motherhood as a sacred calling:

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
— Proverbs 31:25

Some days I laugh.
Some days I cry.
Some days I laugh so I don’t cry.

But strength and dignity? God provides those—even when I feel like a walking laundry basket.

**2. It’s Not What You Expected — for Better and for Worse**

Before becoming a mom, I imagined the peaceful rocking-chair moments, the sweet giggles, the perfectly coordinated outfits, the well-behaved children smiling like a stock photo family.

Reality:

I once found a chicken nugget fossilized in a car seat.
Someone always has sticky hands.
Bedtime takes approximately six years.
And the volume in the house is often “airport runway.”

But also reality:

The love is deeper than you can fathom.
The pride for your children is indescribable.
The joy bursts through your heart like sunshine through clouds.

And God knows this tension:

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”
— Isaiah 66:13

Motherhood stretches us in unexpected ways—and God meets us in all of them.

3. Expectations Are the First Things God Gently Breaks Apart

What we expect:

“I will be organized, calm, structured, perfect, well-rested, and emotionally stable.”

What actually happens:

laugh track erupts in the background

God uses motherhood to refine our expectations—of ourselves, our kids, our homes, and our lives.

We expect tidy.
Motherhood gives us holy chaos.

We expect control.
Motherhood delivers unpredictability.

We expect to be the teacher.
Motherhood shows us we are the student.

This is also where I learned one of my favorite mom-truths:

Moms are the therMOMeters of the home.

(I mean… come on. It’s too good.)

But seriously—we gauge the temperature of our households.
When we’re anxious? The house feels anxious.
When we’re calm? The home becomes peaceful.
When we’re joyful? Our kids soak it in like sunshine.

Motherhood is emotional climate control.

4. You Learn More About Yourself Than You Ever Bargained For

Parenting is like holding up a mirror you didn’t ask for.
You discover:

your triggers
your weaknesses
your pride
your anxieties
your impatience
your control issues

BUT you also discover:

your capacity for love
your resilience
your gentleness
your creativity
your strength
your ability to overflow even when empty

God uses motherhood to shape us into Christlikeness.

“He gently leads those that have young.”
— Isaiah 40:11

The gentleness He shows us becomes the gentleness we pass on.

5. Your Kids Don’t Need a Perfect Mom—They Need a Present One

This lesson took me years.

Kids don’t need:

gourmet meals
spotless houses
designer clothes
chore charts laminated with gold foil

They need you.
Your voice.
Your hugs.
Your prayers.
Your time.
Your presence.

Perfection is a myth.
Presence is the ministry.

If you're a mom, you're going to need to pray!

I wrote this wonderful prayer guide that has helped me

when I'm exhausted and just don't have the words.

Like my blog? You'll love my books!

My books are available at Barnes & Noble - Shop online HERE

6. Motherhood Is Ministry—Even When It Doesn’t Feel Like It

You are modeling Christ-like service every time you:

bandage a knee
comfort a meltdown
wipe tears
fold laundry
help with homework
pray over your kids at night
gently correct them
sacrifice your wants for their needs

This is worship.
This is discipleship.
This is kingdom work.

“Train up a child in the way he should go…”
— Proverbs 22:6

Motherhood is holy ground—right there in your kitchen, car, and messy hallway.

7. It’s the Hardest and Holiest Calling—And I Wouldn’t Trade It

Even on the hard days.
Even when I feel exhausted.
Even when I doubt myself.
Even when I long for a nap more than a tropical vacation.

I would choose motherhood again and again and again.

Because motherhood is:

love that grows
grace that expands
joy that multiplies
faith that deepens
laughter that heals
and work that echoes into eternity

So to my 6th-grade self—good job, girl.
You picked well.
And to Mrs. Whitehead?

Turns out, being a mom is a real career.
A demanding one.
A shaping one.
A sacred one.

And honestly…
one of the very best jobs God ever created.

Everyday Eden

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