“If I were just braver, and 100 percent sure of my decisions, I would really arrive at a good place in motherhood. I should be braver, but in reality, I don’t feel like a brave mom. I’m scared a lot.” These were my thoughts right before I dropped off my 15-year-old daughter at the roller coaster park with a bunch of teenagers from her community theater group. Some were older, and some I didn’t know very well. She assured me they were good kids and promised to text me at check-in times. I wanted to trust her, but I was scared.
But recently, this quote from the movie Coraline struck me: “Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. Being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared, and you do the right thing anyway.” Whoa. Could it be possible that I already am a brave mom? And if I am then maybe you are, too? Maybe we don’t have to walk into something with 100 percent confidence to be the brave moms we want to be. And so, hear me out: Here are 10 ways you are a brave mom.
1. You go…
to the parent-teacher conference, even when you’re nervous about it and don’t like the teacher.
2. You take…
your daughter to her first homecoming dance, wondering how all the teen drama will play out and hoping she’ll be OK.
3. You try…
something new for dinner, putting time and effort into new dishes that might be met with “Ew, what’s that?!”
4. You say yes…
to getting the new pet and the additional responsibility it brings.
5. You say no…
to the sleepover when your mom instinct is giving you red flags.
6. You wait…
on the test results from the doctor, praying with all your heart that it’s nothing serious.
7. You bring up…
a touchy topic with your teenager, even though you know he’s not going to respond happily.
8. You take…
your child to the dentist, even though he’s probably going to scream and cry through the visit.
9. You go…
to that mom’s group where you don’t know anyone, hoping to find some support.
10. You listen…
to your child’s feelings, letting them spill out all over you, giving her a place to be honest, even when it’s hard to hear.
Read these words again:
You go. You take. You try. You say yes. You say no. You wait. You bring up. You listen.
I believe as mothers, we downplay so many brave things we do every day. We don’t notice them, and maybe no one else is pointing them out either. But just because the brave things we do as moms are mostly unseen doesn’t diminish their worth.
Just because the brave things we do as moms are mostly unseen doesn’t diminish their worth. Click To TweetAnd for those moments when you’re gearing up to do the brave thing, remember to be your own best cheerleader. Remind yourself that you’ve done this before, and you can do it again. I also find strength from leaning on God when I’m facing those moments. I love this verse in 2 Timothy: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
What brave thing have you done lately?
