Are you a mom who thinks she’s not good enough? Do you struggle and worry about your parenting strategies? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then this post is for you!
I don’t know where you’re reading this. Perhaps you’re sitting in your car, stealing a few minutes to yourself. Or maybe someone shared this with you at work. Or you’re huddled in your bedroom, with the door locked, and you’re fighting back tears because this has been one of those awful days that you wish you could forget.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, this message is for you and it starts like this… you are enough.
Think about those words for a minute.
You are enough.
Like tasting a fine wine, sip those three words and swish them into the recesses of your mind.
You are enough….
I remember the first time I discovered I was pregnant. I looked in disbelief at the pregnancy test. The joy that I felt was immediately overcome by concerns.
I had a few glasses of wine this month, I ate sushi, and took medication… I’m already a bad mom. I’m not enough.
While in labor I remember rocking back and forth, slow dancing with my husband, and looking up at him with tears in my eyes. Fear set in.
How can I possibly care for another human being when I can barely do this birthing thing? What have I gotten myself into? I’m not enough.
Night after night, every three hours I nursed my newborn back to sleep. As I held that beautiful baby in my arms I fretted.
I’m exhausted, I’m worn, I just want to sleep. I’m selfish to be thinking about myself and the sleep I’m losing out on. I’m such a bad mom. I’m not enough.
A tumble down the stairs, a fall in the yard, a bump on the head, and a trip to the emergency room… frightening moments in a young toddler’s life. As I wipe my child’s tears, I worry.
I can’t keep up. I’m not fast enough, I’m not skilled enough, and I’m not observant enough. I’m not enough.
Homework, tests, making and losing friends, all the stresses of raising a school-aged child. As I think about this stage of life I fill with anxiety.
I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t understand this homework. I can’t protect her from hurtful friends. Are her grades good enough? I’m not enough.
Going to work, staying at home, working at home… these life decisions overwhelm me.
What if I make the wrong decision? What if my work-life affects my relationship with my child? What if I’m not a good stay-at-home mom? I’m not enough.
I’m not enough.
These words rob us of our joy and destroy our confidence in our ability to mother.
You need to know something though… you are enough!
Whether you adopted, had a cesarean, had an intervention-free birth, took an epidural, birthed in a hospital, or laboured at home… you are enough.
Whether you nursed or bottle-fed, whether your child slept in your bed or in their own crib… you are enough.
Whether your child had a scratch, a bruise, stitches, a bump, or a broken bone… you are enough.
Whether your child had decent or amazing grades, one friend or many friends… you are enough.
Whether you’re a working mom or a stay-at-home-mom… you are enough.
I know this because there is a little someone who loves you and who looks at you with adoration. I know you’re enough because there is someone who delights in being loved by you.
You’re a mom. The fact that you think that you’re not enough indicates just how amazing you are. However, whether your children are weeks, years, or decades old, they need you to love yourself just as much as you love them. They need you to realize that you are enough.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing… this message is for you.
Yes beautiful mother… you are enough.
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, this message is for you. You are enough. #motherhood #moms #formom Click To Tweet
This was beautiful and what a great reminder for all of us moms that we are indeed good enough even in the worst of moments, too. Thanks and wishing you a wonderful week ahead now :) xoxo!!
I’m glad you enjoyed this Janine.
Wishing you a lovely week as well.
xoxo
Thus is absolutely what I needed to read as tonight I was in self doubt mode wondering if I truly was a good enough mom.
I’m delighted that this was timely for you Karen.
Thank you for this, it’s been a rough week with my teething baby and this was a nice read. Very helpful reminder to know we as mothers are enough despite the constant worry.
I’m so glad these words reached you at a sensitive time Monica. Keep reminding yourself… you ARE enough.
You are so right, Jennifer! I think motherhood can be our most guilt inducing role in life if we let it! Thank you for this encouragement :)
Guilt can rob us of the joy in motherhood. I’m so glad this encouraged you… thanks for reading.
Absolutely love this! Such encouragement and beautiful words we all need to hear!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this and that it encouraged you Keri.
Wishing you a lovely week.
xoxo
“Beautiful mother, you are enough.” We all need to soak those words in and let them simmer in our hearts. Thanks for the reminder.
Yes… I keep telling myself those words over and over again. I have a secret Robin. I wrote this post as a letter to me but I decided to share it. I’m glad it resonated.
Okay, I may or may not be ugly crying over here. I feel like you took a peek inside my mind and saw my innermost thoughts of inadequacy. I’ve literally had all of these same thoughts except the school age ones, and I’m sure I’ll have those too when I get there. I like how you said that the very fact of having these worries show that we’re a good mom. Because I would assume that if we were truly bad moms, we wouldn’t even care how we were doing. Thank you for this reminder, I needed it <3
Well Jessica, I have a confession to make… I ugly-cried while writing it. This was actually meant as a letter to myself. I’m glad I shared it though… and I’m delighted it spoke to you.
This is absolutely beautiful, Jennifer. Thank you for posting it!
I’m delighted you enjoyed it Echo.
What a wonderfully special post. Today, a day I’m so tired because of sleep broken by a toddler in the wee hours, who’s now breathing deeply and sweetly know my arms. Even today if I don’t get all my tasks completed, if I barely make it through today, if we lay and nap together, or if my fuse is shorter than normal, I’m still enough.
Sometimes as mothers, it’s so hard to remember this, yet so very easy to forget. You’re right though, we’re all enough! :)
I’m delighted this spoke to you today and filled you up. Motherhood can be a challenge… we need to be gentle on ourselves and remind ourselves that we are, indeed, enough.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
Oh I so needed to read this today Jennifer because I have truly felt like that this past weekend. I’ve actually been feeling that way for a while ever since I decided that separating from my husband was the best way for me and my kids. I’ve felt like I wasn’t enough for everyone. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way but it’s amazing how you always post something that I think was just for me when I needed it most. Here’s to a great week!
I’m so glad the timing of this post blessed you Amanda. You ARE enough… and I’ll be praying for you, that you have peace, comfort, and feel God’s love more than ever through this time.
Wishing you a lovely week.
When moms feel worthless, they should look into the eyes of their children and understand that they brought life into this world and are very much loved!
So true Susan… very wise words indeed.
Strangely enough, I was reading your post sitting on the couch, finishing (yes, ACTUALLY finishing!) a cup of (still) hot coffee, listening to the rain pattering outside and enjoying a blissfully baby free morning. I say blissfully, but in all honesty, I miss my daughter so much when we’re apart! My point in all this is, I often feel overwhelmed, “not enough”, etc.. but every once in awhile, my mum takes over baby duties for a morning, and I get to be delightfully refreshed. It charged my batteries like nothing else. I think sometimes, all we really need is a little “me time” to feel 100% again.. – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
That “me time” is so essential to us mommies, isn’t it. I need to schedule more of that too.
You have no idea how much I needed this today. Thank you Jennifer. Going to go ugly cry in a conference room for a bit now.
xoxo
Awww, I’m so glad this touched you and was needed.
Don’t worry about ugly-crying… I bawled while writing it.
This is so good!! I love this and I just know it will encourage so many mommas who need to hear this truth!
Thank you Caroline. I wrote this initially as a letter to myself but felt strongly compelled to share… I’m glad I did and I hope it edifies other moms.
This is beautiful Jennifer. Seriously beautiful. You managed to hit on so many of the thoughts & fears I’ve had in my own parenting experience. Thank you SO much for the reminder to allow ourselves grace in this crazy thing called parenting. <3
Yes! We need that grace Tiffany! I’m so glad this resonated with you and I hope it lifts you up and encourages you.
Such a beautiful, inspiring piece. It is hard to keep up with it all but important to remember that we are not supposed to be perfect.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Melissa… yes, the goal isn’t to be perfect. We never will be.
Such a lovely and empowering post. I really don’t have anything else to say other than that.
Thank you for the post.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for saying so.
Great post. This needs to be a daily battle cry for every mother!
Yes! It should definitely be a daily battle cry!
Beautiful and important message! Something we all need to be reminded of from time to time. I have an exceptionally busy, stressful week this week and this was a good way to start it. Hopefully, I can remember this message i the days to come.
:-)
Thank you Lisa.
I’m so happy that I could breathe positive encouragement into the beginning of your week.
I’m so glad you wrote this letter to yourself because, as I was reading through all of the other comments, it became so apparent that so many of us need reminders like this.
I might re-read this tomorrow morning to get jazzed up for the day! So empowering!
Yes, it’s funny how these things work. I really wrote this to help shift my thinking/mindset… but after writing it and rereading it MANY times, it strck me that other mommies could benefit from having the affirmation – you are enough!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Sarah!
Beautifully written post Jennifer!
The guilt of motherhood is the stuff that can squash us flat like a pancake if we allowed it to. At least that is what my grandmother said. I think she was pretty accurate :)
Your grandmother is right – and wise! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Jen.
Great post. I frequently have negative thoughts about my parenting. I’m giving it my all each day though. Thanks for the kind words to the weary moms out there.
I’m so glad this uplifted and encouraged you. Stay strong mama… and keep on telling yourself “I AM enough!”
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
This is a beautiful post. I think it’s so easy as moms to doubt ourselves; I know I have done a lot of that myself and I need to be reminded that I am enough. I think the fact that we even worry about this shows how much we *are* doing.
It’s so easy to slip into doubt and guilt.
I’m glad you enjoyed this Bev… thanks for sharing your thoughts as well.
Hi Jennifer, a lovely post. Sometimes it takes the words of others for us to realize that we are enough for our children and couldn’t possibly do anything else to be more of a Mum than we already are.
I am sat here tapping away at my laptop, awaiting the arrival of my daughter from school. I will make us a cup of tea and we will sit together and chat for a bit before her brother comes home and I do the same with him. It may not be much, but it is enough and all they need (even if their day hasn’t been so great)….Thank you for confirming that.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Debbie. It sounds like you have lovely after-school encounters with your daughter. That’s beautiful.
Thanks for sharing.
After reading this, I suppose every mom worries about being good enough or not.
Am glad I am not alone with this personal struggle to be better. God Bless Friend you are an encourager.
Thank you Ifeoma… and thank you for blessing me with the title of “encourager”… that just lifted my spirits because that’s how I wish to be.
I love this so much! I have been really stressed out lately about my son and his schooling.. I needed this today. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad this reached you at a sensitive time like this. Keep reminding yourself Lauren… you ARE enough.
xoxo
Yes! God knew what He was doing when He made each mom and gave them their specific child(ren). It is easy to compare ourselves to other moms or even to the mom we think we should be, but being mom the best way we know how is enough. Thank you for the encouragement!
You are so right Emily. God paired us with our children for a reason.
I’m so glad this encouraged you today.
What a beautiful post…I can feel the love and encouragement. You are right – we are enough. You are on a roll my friend…your fingers and spirit have the midas touch!
Aww, thanks for the kind words Kristen. I’m glad you can feel the love and encouragement… knowing that makes my heart happy.
I remember once hearing a beautiful quote – something like, “The mother your child most needs is the mother you already are.”
It’s actually better than that but I couldn’t remember it!
My post tonight is about not feeling enough, but deep inside, I take your words to heart.
And I believe them.
I just read your post. I hope this post encouraged and comforted you… because you ARE enough.
These are some empowering words, Jennifer. As a new mom, this is something that I struggle with, the doubt if I’m enough: not just a mother to my daughter but as the primary caretaker to my family. Thank you for the reminder that I am. That all I do is sufficient and more than enough. It doesn’t hurt to hear it once in a while.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Maria. I hope this uplifted and encouraged you.
Thank you for sharing.
Yes, I’m enough and I don’t need to be sorry for it:) Thank you for this post Jennifer. It’s Friday here already in Bangkok so have a wonderful weekend!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Ping. I hope you had a lovely weekend.
I clicked on this post from your SHINE hop because I thought it was one I had read yesterday and wanted to read again, but discovered it was a different post but very similar. Maybe I needed to read it ‘two ways’. So many people have commented that they feel this way. Your post came straight from your heart to ours. We all struggle, strive and compare ourselves constantly. BUT we ARE enough, and we DO make a difference – here’s a link to the other post to encourage you and others. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-m-martin/when-you-feel-like-you-dont-make-a-difference-remember-this_b_6622862.html
I actually wrote this as a letter to myself and then chose to share it with my sisters in the motherhood journey. It was an emotional post to write but I’m glad I shared as it seems like many moms have similar thoughts/feelings.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this as well.
What a nice message for today. I may have missed getting my daughters to the bus stop in time and there are dirty socks (none of them matched) all over the house, but I’m still enough.
I’m glad you enjoyed this Jenny… and yes… you ARE enough!
Beautiful! I am always so hard on myself when I don’t think I’m doing enough to teach my girls. When they are sitting in front of the TV while I do the dishes or cook dinner, it’s tough. I often wish I didn’t have those chores to do. But I realize that when I do have the time to be with them, I need to actually be there. My toddler has started getting mad at me if I am doing something on my tablet, so I know that she needs my attention much more than my tablet does! I just love hearing her say, “Mommy, you’re so cute,” or “Mommy, you’re so smart.” I know she says those things because I say them to her. She’s learning how to be a little lady, and I feel so wonderful knowing that I am the one teaching her how to do that!
I’m glad you enjoyed this Charlee! Keep on seeing all the good you do my friend.
Loved your post! Honestly, I feel like I often proclaim that phrase. I apply it to various parts of my life–anything from work to school to home life. I think it has to do with comparing myself to others–something I’m constantly battling and hoping to overcome.
Stopping by from the Sits Girls Site!
xx
Jessica
You are so right! We can be enough in many areas of our lives… often we’re our own worst critics but that needs to stop.
Thanks for stopping in Jessica!
This is a beautiful post and much needed by so many moms. Visiting from #sitsblogging
Thank you! I initially wrote it as a letter to myself but realized that probably other moms could identify.
I read this earlier in the week but came back to it when you shared it on the #SITSblogging party. My child hasn’t even been born yet and I worry about all the bad things that can happen, all the things that I can and can’t control. Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder that as long as we love our children, we are enough :).
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Monica. As you near the time meeting your wee babe… just remember to love yourself and speak encouraging words to yourself. You deserve it (and so does your child). You ARE enough my friend.
Thank you for visiting.
So true! It kind of went with one of my blogs this past week. http://inspirationtocreations.com/thoughts/pressure/ We all feel pressured to be things, but where do those voices come from? We are a work. We are not perfect. We are constantly being made new and really, we are exactly where we are suppose to be! We are enough, in my opinion, because God made us to be enough to fit for the time and season we are in. We will have doubts but we can’t stay in those doubts. We have to keep moving forward. Thanks for your post! :)
Beautiful words. Yes, we need to give ourselves grace, just as God gave us grace.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this as well.
I needed this today! As much as I spend each day surrounded by my little ones, this thought does crop up (more than) time to time. This was for me: “I’m not enough. These words rob us of our joy and destroy our confidence in our ability to mother.” Thank you for reminding us mothers everywhere that we ARE enough!
I’m delighted that this post reached you and blessed you on a day you needed it most Letetia. You ARE enough! <3
Seriously Jennifer, I may have even commented on this post already but this is the third time I’ve read it and I just absolutely love it… it’s like you were speaking to me, my insecurities as a mother. You’re so right, we are all enough. xo Thanks for linking up again today on the Saturday Spotlight!
I’m delighted you enjoyed this post Tawnya. We obviously have something in common, as I wrote this initially as a letter of encouragement to myself. After hanging onto it for a while I felt prompted to share it and see what other moms think/feel. A lot of us have similar thoughts and insecurities. So yes… I am enough… and you are enough.
Thank you for being a gracious hostess at the Saturday Spotlight.
I so needed to read this! It has been a rough two weeks! Sometimes I forget that I am not super mom, that I only have one set of hands, and that it’s ok to sit down for more than 5 minutes. Everything does not have to be done right now! Wonderful post. :-)
#sitsblogging
I’m so glad this came to you at a time when you needed it. Just keep telling yourself – I AM enough… because you are.
Thank you for stopping by.
This is an amazing piece! I know I’ve had many, many moments when the idea that I am not enough has popped into my mind. I never would have guessed the amount of doubt, guilt, and worry that comes with motherhood. We can all use a reminder like this from time to time. We ARE enough!
I’m so glad this lifted you up. Yes… we ARE enough!
I am enough!
And even when I think that I am not, God is!
Thank you for this beautiful message, my friend!
Blessings to you and yours.
xo
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Heather.
You’re so right in saying – if I’m not enough God DEFINITELY is!
Thanks so much for sharing that my friend.
This made me tear up Jennifer! Beautiful post :)
Thank you. I’m so glad you enjoyed this Misty.
So beautiful!!! I think we all feel this way at times and then we have to remind ourselves of this. We also have to remind ourselves that God doesn’t want us to feel like we are not enough. I know I do have to remind myself of that a lot of times! Also, I laughed, because do you know how many times I have sat on the toilet as I read my i-phone, ha!! ha!!! haa!!!!! Maybe that is, TMI, but ya know, one word = human! ;)
Thank you friend! I’m delighted that this post resonated with you.
You’re right God, never wants us to feel like we’re not enough. Thankfully when we’re not “enough” he is enough for us!
I love this! What a beautiful note to YOU. A mom that IS ENOUGH! It’s easy to feel like we’re not enough – I know the feeling – but those sweet kisses, long hugs, and amazing laughs remind me that I’m doing a lot of things right. xo
Thank you Melody – I’m glad you enjoyed this and I’m delighted that I shared my note to myself with others too.
This post is such a beautiful & uplifting reminder to ALL moms.
Moms have the hardest jobs on the planet. When we do a good job in the work place often we are rewarded or complimented. It’s easy to not see our rewards as a mom because those words are not often spoken. Thanks to our kids we get smiles, sweaty hugs, and sloppy kisses. Sometimes the words are just nice to hear.
Thanks for the encouragement and confirmation that “WE ARE ENOUGH!”
I must ‘share’ this post. It was wonderful!
I’m delighted that this resonated with you Brandy. I think us moms are so hard on ourselves. We need to know that we ARE indeed, enough.
Thank you for your kind words (and for sharing).
thank you so much for posting this! I just had that bad moment today and was about to tell my husband that I’m not good enough in caring for my kids. Being a mom is tough and I believe every if us does her best
Hello again, Jennifer…I’m back for more of your lovely wisdom and encouragement. I think you’re spot-on that this is an issue for moms! (I blame it on Fantasy Facebook Supermom.) I also agree with another comment that if you’re the kind of mom who is worried about not doing a good job, you probably are! To wit (and if this isn’t allowed here, of course just delete it): this “Mamassessment”–a checklist of 25 things good moms do without even realizing it! http://www.foreverymom.com/25-things-good-moms-do-without-even-realizing-it/. Thank you, Jennifer…here’s to good moms everywhere. :)
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this Elizabeth. Often we don’t realize just how much we do and what an impact we have. It’s almost easier to recall our failures rather than our triumphs.
This is such a beautiful, uplifting piece!
Aww, thanks! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Completely agree. I struggled with the very same emotions. I actually wrote about that very same idea on my blog here:
http://www.sarahbadatrichardson.com/am-i-enough/
Here’s to all the mothers doing their best & that’s more than enough!
Today I had a bad day like a mother,and I need something like this. Thank you so much,and sorry for my poor English,it isn’t my native language.
I am delighted that this post reached you at a time you needed it this most. Sending you much love and encouragement.
I had tears in my eyes while reading this article. I have a two year old and believe me every day I feel I am not a good enough mother!! Thanks for the kind words and making us realize that we are enough. Keep up your good work ?
I am so glad this resonated with you, and that you read this article a time when you needed encouragement the most.
Wishing you a lovely day.
Wow! I am glad I came across your article. Have been having an exceptionally challenging week with my two year old son, where no matter what I do, I just seem to be doing it wrong. Unsure if I am being the best parent I could be to my son by choosing to be a stay at home mom. I resonate with almost everything you said, hopefully I’ll get to feeling “I am enough” soon too.
I’m delighted that this article encouraged you. We all have those doubts… I hope you allow yourself to feel that you are “enough” soon. <3