Motherhood Challenge of the Month: March 2010

The Motherhood Challenge of the Month is designed to help us prepare to be excellent mothers.

If you were a mother, would you be a mother just like every other mother?

And be not conformed to this world: 
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. . . . 
~Romans 12:2 (first part)

Would the nature of your motherhood be conformed to this world?

Renew your mind on the subject of motherhood. What it means to be a mother. What mothers do and don't do. Be transformed into a different kind of mother, not one that is knowingly or unknowingly conformed to the world.

I just realized this is a huge topic. I'm going to let my readers take it pretty much any direction they want to, within a few guidelines.

Firstly, I'd like you to look at whether or not your thinking on motherhood is conformed to the world. What is “worldy mothering”? How does your society and the mothers in it view motherhood, do motherhood, understand motherhood? What do they expect from mothers (including themselves)? How do/should mothers relate to their children? What do they do for their children? What does the mother's job consist of? What elements of motherhood that you typically see in the world have you adopted and are these ideas biblical, accurate, beneficial, practical? What ideas about motherhood have you chosen and what ideas have you picked up from those around you by default (where did you get them?)?

Secondly, What does motherhood mean to you? I'm not looking for dictionary or scientific definitions here. *smile* What does it really mean to you?

Do you think it would be different if you lived in a different historical setting? That question might be fun to play with!

Is this meaning consistent with what you came up with in step one, as you looked at your ideas about motherhood and how it should be carried out? If not, what are the differences?

Regardless of your ideas and ideals, what kind of mother do you think you would really be?

Thirdly, in addition to looking into the above questions, do something this month to renew your mind on the subject of motherhood, separate from the world (undo your previous conforming) in the area of motherhood, and/or work toward making your ideas and ideals a reality in your life (that is, do something that will bring you closer to being the woman who would be the kind of mother you think you ought to be).

Finally, please share what you've done this month to meet this challenge. You may share in the comments or leave directions to your blog posts.