Myths of Motherhood

Announcing the debut of The Stained Glass Pickup, Glimpses of God’s Uncommon Wisdom by Cathy Messecar –Leafwood Publishers / ACU Press

Thom Lemmons, co-winner of the 2006 Christy award for Christian fiction King’s Ransom say’s about Cathy’s new book The Stained Glass Pickup:

"Cathy Messecar finds temples wherever she goes: in a chapel on a university campus, at her children's bedsides, in a church full of rustling Bible pages... or on a bale of hay, in the cab of an eighteen-wheeler, in the aisle of a grocery store. Like a long-ago Teacher walking the dusty roads of Galilee, she can spot the outlines of the sublime camouflaged by the ordinary. Her images will touch your imagination; her words will touch your heart; her visions of eternity will touch your soul."

Order today at www.stainedglasspickup.com -- a hard back gift book, $10.99 plus S & H, tax if applicable or by mail at P. O. Box, Montgomery, TX 77356 or email me. Outside United States order from http://www.leafwoodpublishers.com/



Myths of Mothering

Years ago, we brought our firstborn child home from the hospital near the end of September. Before bedtime, I swaddled Russell, a big kid (9 pounds, 1oz) like an apple in a dumpling. That first night in my care, he wore a long-sleeved footed sleeper with a new flannel blanket tucked securely around him. Just to be sure the cocooned infant didn’t catch a chill, I placed one more blanket over him. Throughout the night, he fretted between feedings.

His second day at home, his paternal grandmother, Nancy, a registered nurse, visited and I told her, “He’s been a bit fussy.”

She took one look at the layered Eskimo clothing which could have seen him through the Ice Age, and gently suggested, “I think he may be too warm.”

She unwound him like an Ace bandage. After the de-clothing, my son had on light pajamas and a whisper of a blanket, and he slept peacefully until his midnight feeding. Mothering doesn’t come naturally.

New mothers face many challenges such as throwing out the bath water without the baby. They need good coaches such as my mother-in-law, my mom, and my friend Louise Blake. Steven and Janet Bly list the myths of motherhood in How to be a Good Mom. One myth -- “mothering is easy.”

Become a mother and a permanent call button may as well be surgically implanted. Proverbs 31:28 says “Her children rise up and call her blessed.” One woman says her children just rise up and call. The journal of an honest mother will reveal tears, exhaustion, emotional lows and trampoline-high joys. Though not always an easy calling, mothering gives better rewards than frequent flyer miles. Just add an “s” and the “miles” of mothering add up to frequent “smiles.” Joy is embedded in parenting children.

Another myth the Bly’s target is that “mothering is always fun.” Columnist Michelle Cuthrell of Alaska had a list of ideals for the first six months of life with her new child. She presumed her routine would include morning devotional, healthy home-cooked meals, her clothing and hair — pristine, and all chores finished by noon. She also allotted a full night’s sleep for her and her husband, on leave from Iraq. The darling infant arrived and the plan went kaput. She wondered why anyone trusted them to take an innocent baby home from the hospital.

After three weeks of nothing in real life meshing with Fantasy Island Motherhood, Michelle Cuthrell wrote a new prospectus: “Love and provide for my baby; sleep when you can.”

Another myth is “a mother is repaid for all she does.” That is true of the hereafter, but for here and now, most mothers will settle for a smidgen of gratitude. Mothers are fever reducers, attitude adjustors, security guards, laundresses, referees, chefs and bottle washers. This weekend, give the chief laundress a break.

Gift suggestions for Mothers Day: Write a note to your mother; retell of interaction when she guided your tennis shoes onto the right path. Plan a one-on-one time to cherish her. Ask her to tell you stories from her girlhood. Or perhaps, you many need to gift your mother with forgiveness. Help mom with a long-delayed chore she has put off. Or plan a “don’t-lift-a-hand-day” for your mother. Allow her time to read, take a nap, garden or shop.

God’s good plan causes mothers to be recycled – recycled through the lives of the children they parent. This weekend, make time to thank the women influencers in your life.

You may contact Cathy at www.stainedglasspickup.com