Previously Posted on Mother's Day 2026
Being a mother has changed so much more than my sleep schedule. My oldest was baptized on Mother’s day in Winnipeg in 1997. There were floods, there were frustrated tears when my dress didn’t fit like I thought it would, there was tears from my parents eye’s, joy not sadness and of course there were wet diapers, gown, and my husband’s suit. That child had a soggy bottom. My fifth child was born just after Mother’s day, she was baptized on my birthday, I learned to share.
Both my mother-in-law and my Oma (grandmother) had birthdays close to Mother’s day. I don’t ever remember celebrating them separately. As a mothers there is a lot of sharing that happens, not just special days. We learn to share our bodies, I have been a sleeping mat, a constant cuddle-er, a food source and a heat source. We share our time, husbands, space and food, sometimes right off our plates. Our concentration is split many ways, priorities are rearranged and endless generations give their love.
It is a sacrifice to be a mother, to give so much of ourselves but like many sacrifices there is often a reward. Sometimes it is hard to picture when in the thick of it- dirty diapers, messy house, screaming child, exhausted, but it is there. Its not only to carry on the genetics of mankind or create an heir to a family name.
These children of ours become people, with their own lives who can’t help but touch the lives of the people around them. They teach us things we didn’t know were missing in our lives reminding us of what it was like to have wonder and curiosity. They teach us a form of discipline, not the spanking or time out kind, the organization and control that they need to see in us. We learn to watch our words so our off-spring don’t accidentally swear in front of our parents. We get the laundry done on time so everyone has clothing to wear. I am not saying we don’t slip up, but that we learn and become aware. These are life skills and personal growth, often becoming tangible over time.
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Mothers who Teach
We, as parents, are also called to teach. The basics like putting socks on and cleaning up after themselves but also how to budget their first paychecks and drive a car. The greatest thing we can teach them though is how to be a Christian.
This isn’t sitting them down at the table and explaining the history of the church, but that might also happen. This kind of teaching is an everyday, all the time, and subtle style of teaching. Show them don’t tell. Actions speak louder than words. And so many other sayings.
What are we showing our children that will lead them to faith? Not the faith of their parents, the kind that looks like dragging sleepy teenagers and cranky toddlers to church on Sunday morning but the kind where half a continent away your grown child is seen taking communion on a video service, and it wasn’t even Easter.
The faith where a child says pray for me, or ‘I’ll pray for you’. One of my children was never quite sure about God and faith until one day the circumstances and the outcome led them to say, “There is no possible way it wasn’t God.” Their own faith, not your faith. It will look different, they might not go to the same church or even any church at all but they believe and that is enough.
We as Christians are called not to pummel Christ into the hearts and souls of those around us. We are called to show the way, lead by example, provide the bible and a path. Faith is not a straight-jacket either, we grow in faith. Children grow out of their clothing and into others, same is true for faith. Give them space to find their faith but never stop inviting them to “Come and see.”
I have grown in both my motherhood and my faith. The diapers are done, and the last years of having a child in High School is upon me. Physically I have changed since the flood of ‘97 and yet the tears of both joy and frustration still flow. My faith is more specific, and more grounded. I have seen God’s work in my life, and he is a constant companion, there is no doubt. I also feel that I have been called to write what I know, feel, understand and believe.
Join me on my journey of humour, hope and humanity.
