As appears on page 18 of my book, The Way of the Toddler, I share here my Mission Statement for Motherhood.
Measure their success by the amount of joy they experience.
Offer support without interfering too much (ultimately, it is their journey).
Trust! Trust them, trust myself, the universe – and then let go.
Help with life (and homework), but don’t do it for them.
Engage with them – be interested in them as people and as fellow human beings.
Respect them, respect myself. We both deserve unconditional love.
Harness their talents and encourage them to pursue their dreams.
Open my door to them, but let them do the knocking.
Organize my own life to be happy and fulfilled outside of raising my children.
Demonstrate to the best of my abilities the qualities that I want to pass on – kindness, tolerance, open-mindedness, non-judgmental unconditional love.
Seeing my Mission Statement for Motherhood every day helps me refocus on the bigger picture. Surrounded by so much poop, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. Having a Mission Statement for Motherhood reminds me that there is, indeed, a forest here. There is the bigger context of their entire lives and what I will impart to them for use and recall long after my bones have turned to dust. There is also the bigger picture of my life and who I am outside of my children. They will not always need me so much.
What I have done, which I find very helpful, is write this Mission Statement for Motherhood. I keep a framed copy in my bedroom and another in the kitchen. Where ever I am, I am never far away from a reminder of what is real when I am confronted with the stresses of modern motherhood.
The goal of The Mission Statement for Motherhood (MSM) Project is to gather together the Mission Statements for Motherhood that moms are creating around the globe. As word of The Way of the Toddler spreads and more (and more!) moms read the book, attend a Way of the Toddler workshop and/or buy a Mission Statement for Motherhood blank print, there will be literally thousands of versions of the Mission Statement for Motherhood.
It is my intention to collect as many Mission Statements for Motherhood as possible over the next year and create a new book. The MSM Project book will be an inspiration to whoever leafs through its pages. As we read the Mission Statements for Motherhood of other moms around the globe, we will learn how they have articulated their core values for motherhood. We will also learn how much we have in common as mothers across cultures, time zones, ethnicities, religions and languages.
My personal mission in this endeavor is for every mom on the planet to have her own Mission Statement for Motherhood. While I realize this may seem a somewhat unrealistic goal (to say the least), one has to start somewhere. By putting on paper our thoughts for what is most important to us in raising our children, we will have a permanent reminder of the context of parenting. It is the reminder of the “forest” when all we can see are the trees.
If you have written your Mission Statement for Motherhood, I urge you to send it to me either by email at thewayofthetoddler@gmail.com or in the mail to:
Leta Hamilton
715 222nd Place NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
USA
