Passionate Moms

"I can promise you that women working together - linked, informed and educated - can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet." -Isabel Allende

Foster moms can be a passionate bunch.

Same for 

health and wellness moms

adoptive moms, 

moms of kids with autism,

homeschooling moms, 

tiger moms, 

moms of kids with special needs,

moms of twins, 

moms of preschoolers, 

moms of children who are seriously ill,

moms of addicts,

moms of children who have turned to violence, 

moms of kids who committed suicide,

and mothers of kids who have been killed by drunk drivers.

So here's my point: all of those moms who have committed their hearts and minds to a specific cause, and give unendingly not only to their own sons and daughters but to all children who gather under that particular banner are beautiful.

All of those causes are beautiful.

All of those mothers' passionate work is motivated by love. 

And I truly believe that, while God loves us no matter what we do or don't do, he is pleased with anyone who cares for children, no matter what the specifics of the particular situation.

But there are times, though I hate to say it, that some of those particular types of mothers lift up their own special cause as different

or better

or more important

or closer to God's heart

than the causes that other mothers lift up. 

Rather than revel in the beauty of every form of passionate mothering, I hear voices saying, "Yes, this is the most important form of mothering. Every mother should consider doing this."

And sometimes I can make out, in the whispers between the words, "God loves this kind of mothering best."

Now, I understand the passion in those voices, both whispered and spoken aloud.

There is nothing that feels more right and good and truly empowering than to step into the call that God has planned for you. And there's nothing more affirming and life-giving than getting that sense of spiritual confirmation that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, doing exactly what God created you to do.

I'll be the first to acknowledge that passionate moms can easily get so wrapped up in their causes that it's hard for them to imagine being any other way. Back in the day, I was a homeschooling mom as intense as they come - I loved everything about homeschooling  and knew without question that this was the ideal lifestyle not only for my own family but for all children and their families. I would drag out my soapbox to expound on the merits of this lifestyle to anyone who would listen, and encouraged every mother who showed even a flicker of interest in homeschooling to give it a try. I wanted every child in the world to learn this way, and I tirelessly reached out to other homeschooling families to give them a hand up. As further proof of my endless passion for homeschooling, let me point out that eight years after graduating my youngest daughter, I'm still supporting homeschooled kids by teaching algebra to homeschooled high school students.

Passion is a beautiful thing. 

But, you know, allow me to point out the obvious.

God built us all to do different things. 

So. While one mom is advocating for kids with attention deficit issues, another is serving as a doula for laboring moms, and a third is influencing legislation to help hungry kids get healthy breakfasts at school.

There's no hierarchy to these needs. One form of mothering is just as valid and essential to our children as the next. Every single passionate act of mothering counts. 

And when we passionate moms can work together, fully appreciating the unique and varied gifts we each bring to the world, that is the very best we can do for the children that we all love so much.

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My latest thoughts on mothers and mothering:

May Day

Grandmother's Christmas Cactus

Mothering

Passionate Moms