A mother’s work is never done. There is always at least one more thing she could be tackling at the end of her day. Yet, we can not always be busy, can’t constantly be cleaning…this kind of life is not what God designed for mothers. We often lose sight of the greatest calling we have because there really is so much to do.
Children are to be a mother’s focus, aside from God and their husbands, they are the most important calling a mother has. While they do need a clean home and clothes, food in their bellies, etc. There is something they need more…
You.
Your children need time with you and that requires you not giving them the last of your day, the last of your energy. They need you to be rested…you need to be rested. If you aren’t ensuring that you’re getting the rest your body needs, then you will wear yourself out, be moody and probably end up sick.
It is hard to walk away from dirty dishes in the sink, unfolded socks in a basket, a cluttered dining room table and yard, but it’s more important for you to be rested than to have one more thing done before reaching exhaustion.
Your Kids Can Help You Get to Being Rested
As young moms we tend to have to do most of the clean up, because little ones don’t understand and honestly they make more of a mess sometimes “helping” mommy clean up. Once our children reach the age of 4 (maybe even 3), they can actually help with a few things around the house.
- Pick up toys
- Match socks
- Help set the table
By age 7, they can tackle even more to help out, after all moms don’t make the messes alone and they’ll need to know how to do this house cleaning thing someday.
- Wash dishes
- Fold clothes
- Dust furniture
- Sweep
- Vacuum
- Take out the trash
At 10 years old, they’re able to do a lot more than we realize and often need something to do to help settle those hormones that are starting to show themselves.
- Mow the grass
- Weed the garden/flower beds
- Wash the car
- Mop floors
- Yard work
- Split and stack wood
While our kids aren’t to do everything around the house just because they can, we do need to have them help in order to learn how to take care of a home and to teach personal responsibility.
Having help around the home will enable you to rest more, because you won’t carry the load alone. Ensure that you enjoy the cleaning time with your kids; laugh, smile, take breaks for games, play loud music, etc. Let them know how much you appreciate their help and they’ll be more likely to do so in the future with little to no complaint.
Get Rested Throughout Your Day
There are a few ways to rest throughout your day too. This is especially important if you’re caring for a baby in the middle of the night too.
- Nap when the little ones do
- Have a rest time with a DVD (Baby Einsteins are wonderful)
- Sit and read together
- Let the older ones play by you while you lay on the couch and rest
Kids do not always need to be running around or entertained. Their bodies need down time too. Take advantage of this and rest yourself.
Kids Bedtime = Mommy’s Rest Time
After the kiddos are in bed, the day is done. Stop. Do not continue to clean after the little blessings are in bed. This is key to ensuring you’re rested for them…for the next day.
Following their bath and tuck in time, here are some great ways to relax a bit before turning out the lights.
- Take a bath/shower
- Watch a favorite movie or TV show
- Drink a cup of hot tea
- Read a book
- Just go to bed
Being rested is vitally important for your spiritual, mental, emotional and physical well being. Your family will appreciate the rested mommy vs. the unrested mommy more than you probably realize. Start today and begin being rested for your tomorrows.
