Supportive Motherhood

Supportive Motherhood

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

When my daughter Noelle was a curly-haired toddler, I decided to find someone to watch her and Elise two mornings a week so I could accomplish work and tasks without interruption. After posting on our church’s private online group, I got a response from a woman named Angie, who came over the following week to meet our family.

Angie’s youngest daughters had just started school, so she was looking for flexible work during the day. Even better, she was willing to watch the girls at my house. So, for the past five years, she has done just that—spending ten or more hours a week at my house taking care of my (now three) daughters. On writing days, when I’m perched on the plush floral chair in my bedroom with a bird’s-eye view of the backyard, I can see her at the playground—a calm force in a sea of chaos.

More than the help I now rely on, over the years, I have come to admire Angie’s strength and ability to withstand adversity. As a single mom with daughters of her own, she’s an amazing advocate for her children. Though we may have different approaches to certain things, she is a friend who supports me in my motherhood, just as I support her in hers. I always know she’ll refer my daughters back to me if she’s unsure how to respond to something. In my children’s best moments, she cheers alongside me. In my children’s worst moments, she offers the sympathy of shared understanding.

In an age of social media perfection and the internet’s obsession with parent shaming, the ability to be authentic and vulnerable with our friends on a tender topic like parenting is invaluable. God, the source of patience and encouragement, has encouraged us to live in harmony with one another. Yet harmony is often achieved when we can find friends who are willing to be in the trenches alongside us. This idea doesn’t just apply to parenting. Who is alongside you in the trenches of school or work? Who is experiencing the same medical, financial, or relationship struggles that you are? Who can you encourage?

— Kristin

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Thank a friend who is in the trenches with you for their encouragement.