Mom or Martyr?

Are you a mom? Are you a martyr?

Sometimes I feel that those two words are synonymous. As a parent, you have sheltered your child inside your body for nine months. You were their world. You fed them and protected them. When they are born, the protections don’t stop. Most moms would tell you that they’d give their life for their child. So when it comes time for the child to want or need something, moms feel the need to give in and make their child happy…even if it’s the last sandwich.

That happened to me. It was dinner and I never know who is going to be sitting down for dinner. In a blended family, we sometimes have two kids or just one. A few weeks ago I made homemade subs. My step-son said that they were even better than Subway. High praise indeed. I made four subs that night for dinner. My husband, my son, my step-son and myself. However, when my step-son brought over his girlfriend without asking, we were now one sandwich short. Being a mom…I ate something else.

Making a sacrifice for our children is a part of being a parent. No matter if they are your natural born or not. But when you let those sacrifices always come from you…when your child never knows that you are giving up things of importance so that they can be happy, you are leading your child down a bumpy road.

There’s something to be said for planning ahead, making choices and learning from not always getting what you want. Our children really do learn from their mistakes. When they can’t get the toy that they want and have to learn to save their money or find chores to do to earn money, they are learning life long skills.

So moms, let’s do what we do best and protect our children, but also let’s teach them to sacrifice themselves. Things that are earned are more cherished.

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