Motherhood is Not a Chore. It’s Time to Stop Portraying it as Such.

I see this mindset all over social media, and it hurts my heart that so many mothers view this role as a chore. Nothing bugs me more than portraying motherhood with frazzled, overwhelmed women who never have time for themselves. If this is your experience, you are entitled to feel that way, but I want more for you! Motherhood is not a chore. And it’s time we change that view.

There’s a really unhealthy narrative that motherhood is a thankless, endless job. Yes, some days, weeks, and even months may feel like that when you’re neck-deep in sleepless nights and endless diapers. But this is a dangerous viewpoint to have. I can see how easy it is to fall into that trap. Counting down the hours to bedtime and doing whatever it takes to survive the day, needing alcohol to cope with the stress, and losing your identity throughout the process. Society has done an excellent job showing us how miserable this position can be. No wonder so many mothers are miserable.

But what would happen if you changed your mindset and started to believe that motherhood is not a chore but an honor?

That’s not to say you won’t ever have another off day as a mother, but let’s change the narrative that motherhood is a miserable existence when it can be the most beautiful thing you have ever experienced.

How do you stop viewing motherhood as a chore?

Let’s chat about a few things I’ve done to change my view on motherhood and start viewing it as a blessing instead of a burden.

I want to preface this by saying I understand firsthand how difficult motherhood can be. I am not trying to downplay anyone’s experiences or make light of the difficulties that come with parenting. This post is meant to encourage mothers to see motherhood for the blessing it can be. If that’s not your experience or desire, great. My blog is about encouraging mothers, so I aim to do that!

Looking for more encouragement? Here are some of my recent posts

Finding motivation when motherhood gets overwhelming

The importance of making mom friends

Don’t take anyone’s advice too seriously

I get it. The moment you announce your pregnancy, everyone has something to tell you. What about having a baby makes people think giving unsolicited advice is okay? I have a rule that I won’t give a parent advice unless they explicitly ask for it. Even my best intentions could hurt someone’s feelings, and I want to avoid that as much as possible. If a friend or family member seeks me for advice, I will give an opinion, but only on the topic in question, and only once they’ve asked.

Say ‘yes’ to less

I have worked at this for a long time. Probably 2 or 3 years now. Partially because of our son’s cancer diagnosis and physically being incapable of taking on anything more, and partially because it’s been freeing to allow myself the freedom to let go of an over-packed schedule and home.

It’s okay to put down the responsibility of an overly packed schedule and free up time to be with your family. It’s also okay to put down the responsibility of an overly packed home. Let me tell you how incredible it feels to have a home that’s easy to maintain! I used to feel like every surface needed décor, and every closet needed to be filled with towels, blankets, clothing, etc. It became exhausting to keep up with.

Over the last year or so, I have slowly worked through every room in our home to donate and throw out about 65% of everything we own, and it has felt incredible. I can’t recommend doing this enough! Let it go if you haven’t touched something in over a month or have multiples that aren’t necessary. My kids love blankets and those darn Squishmallow pillows, but they take up so much space. They each have two special blankets and pillows; we’ve donated the rest. It was hard to explain why at first, but once they saw how much easier it was to keep their rooms tidy, they could understand the value of having fewer things to be responsible for.