Mothers Who Know

Copyright Beatta Bosworth

I received an inspiring "back to school" email from a friend tonight addressed to fellow mothers who would be sending their kids off to school tomorrow. It got me to thinking about this talk by Julie B. Beck - one of the leaders in my church. I remember vividly being only two months or so pregnant with Elisabeth and being brought to tears when I heard this talk. This is the mother I wanted to be to my little miracle baby growing inside of me.

I re-read it again tonight and promptly re-evaluated my life. The part that stood most out to me was "Mothers who know do less. . . They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. . .These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all."

I thought of how much time I spend every week doing things that take me away from my children and may be considered distractions: Checking Facebook, reading blogs, reading books, watching movies. Smart phones make being connected so easy. Not that any of these things are bad but I wonder how much time I allow them to take up in my life.

I am going to take a temporary hiatus from Facebook and also make an concerted effort to put my phone up whenever I am with my children. I am sure I will return . . . Just after I figure out how to be on a social network without it becoming too much a part of my life. I want to be a mother who "stand[s] strong and immovable for that which is correct and proper under the plan of the Lord" and does not miss out on important teaching moments in my children's lives. I want to choose carefully and try not to choose it all.

Post Script:
After posting this message I found the following articles online that may also be interesting reading:
Distracted Parenting - CNN
The New Distracted Parenting - The Huffington Post