With summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about how successful young moms juggle your work and your kids’ vacation. My, how I admire the way successful young moms somehow manage all the moving pieces!
The Summer Juggling Act
How is this generation of successful young moms coping? Some of the most amazing mommies I’ve ever known are balancing kids, work, yoga, family meals, and relationships. (Plus, you find time to visit with me occasionally, too. And I am truly grateful for your input! For direct access to our latest conversational adventures and blog, click here.) Wow! What a generation!
“I don’t know how they’re doing it. My kids are grown and I find it difficult to balance it all! Working is hard,” I told a friend the other day. How blessed I felt to stay home with my kids back in the day! As much as I love working now, I can’t imagine how you as successful young moms balance all the stuff on your plates!
Lately, however, I’ve noticed some trends. For one thing, this generation of successful young moms includes gifted, patient communicators. Whether it’s by design or desperation, I couldn’t say. Perhaps a bit of both. x
Since I find checklists empowering, I created one for you. Why are lists helpful? Certainly not to put us back under the pile of perfection!! Instead, on one hand, I find encouragement when I ace a few things on the list. On the other hand, if the list offers a new idea to try, I experience relief and hope. (For more on the Art of Messing Up and how to model redemption and forgiveness for your kids, click here.) Hopefully, this little checklist of communication strategies from other successful young moms encourages you.
Home Helper Experiment
1) Successful young moms ask for help and assign tasks.
I’ve watched as my daughters note and honor their kids’ unique giftedness. Their communication strategies for instilling confidence in their kids gave me an idea. (Please, keep in mind I tend to be a little dingy with important details, like who remembered swimsuits.)
This week, I tried an experiment with one of my grandkids. First, I called ahead to tell one grandson how much I appreciated his knack for organizing our family. Next, I asked for his help. Happily, all five kids arrived ready for fun, toting their swim suits, when I picked them up.
Share the Glory and the Gain
2) Successful young moms create job sharing moments.
Whether at work or home, today’s generation of young moms pitch in and you expect everyone else to join the team.
With women working, roles shifted. Thank heavens! This generation of young husbands enjoy helping with the mundane stuff. Okay, nobody likes all the dull chores, but this generation of young dads are claiming their right to do stuff together. What a blessing for all of us! (For tips on having break-through conversations, ahem, like about the chores, click here.)
Don’t you just love all the pictures on Instagram of dads cherishing everyday moments with their kiddos?! ❤️You may not think of job-sharing as a communication function, but consider the patient instruction that goes into getting everyone to collaborate around family outings alone, not to mention chores, meals, laundry! You get the idea.
Successful Young Moms Need Oxygen, Please
3) Successful young moms prioritize.
Young moms today know you have to put the oxygen mask on yourself first. Therefore, I see you multitasking the important stuff. For instance, you combine your exercise and diet into your family’s routine. Also, it’s common for this generation to combine work functions with opportunities to get some mentoring, all while raising money for charity! Congrats on communicating your priorities in lifestyle choices as you maximize your relationships with other women.
No one can run full-throttle 24/7. (For more on the connection of rest, joy, and creativity, click here.) Somehow, the successful young moms I know find time to communicate your heart to your families, your friends, your communities, and still find time to take care of yourself. You manage to prioritize fun, by savoring small moments of joy at work and home with those you love. This is no small miracle!
Permission to Rest, Thank You Very Much
4) Successful young moms let the laundry wait.
You know you can’t get everything done to perfection, so you give yourself permission to rest. What I love about this generation of successful young moms is you don’t beat yourself up when you can’t get it all done. You communicate with yourself in self-talk to comfort and restore you own soul. This is a hard one for most of us, no matter our age. But knowing our priorities, makes this so much easier.
Your mantra: Laundry can wait (until it can’t)! Let’s face it, dirty underwear is probably not a life-threatening problem. Or, as one otherwise normal friend likes to say, “You can always turn undies inside out and wear them again.” (If you know who this anonymous friend is, don’t tell!)
Sensibly, this generation of young moms allows yourselves a break and comes back to the important stuff later. You know, like after the kids graduate in a few years!(For inspiration from Neita Fran Ward on how to create a summer around memories, instead of chores, click here.)
My Hat’s Off to You
Perhaps, your stressful job prompts a scramble for excellent child care over the summer. Maybe you’ve been homeschooling and summer break means the addition of education-related travel to plan. Or, it could be that you’re about to send your little one off to kindergarten in a few short months. We understand that serving our families can be an overwhelming, even thankless, job sometimes.
If you’re struggling through decisions about how to create the best summer memories for your family, please know I’m praying for you to have energy and insight. Whatever your situation, please know how much we admire your devotion to your family. You have a fan club right here and I’m the president of it!
May I pray for you?
Father in heaven, You know how complicated life can get. We need help and we needed it yesterday! Lord, have mercy on all the young moms trying to make good decisions for their families, while balancing their full-throttle lives. Give us energy for the priorities of today. Allow our hearts to rest as we let the small stuff go. Help us recognize joy so we can savor it today. May our hearts abide in Your presence no matter what the day brings? Let our hearts rest contented in Your beautiful Spirit. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
We love to hear from you!
How do you restore peace in your full-throttle life? In what ways are true companionship and community restoring your soul? When you pray about your priorities, what does God show you?
More Stories and Wisdom to Bless Our Hearts!
If you, too, are committed to creating companionship in our world, we want to encourage you! Joyfully, we’ve interviewed experts. Don’t miss their stories and wisdom, shared just for you on Fireside Talk Radio: Cynthia Tobias, SharRon Jamison, Charlotte Canion, Neita Fran Ward, Chris Legg, Henda Salmeron, and Tony Johnson, to name just a few more people we find heroic. Don’t forget, Anna is returning soon for more creative fun with kiddos. Or, you can sign up for our blog by clicking here (and we sure hope you do!!!) Finally, I certainly hope you click on Cynthia Tobias’s interviews on strong women and learning styles!
Upcoming Adventures:
We are overjoyed to welcome Janet McHenry to the show soon. If you’ve ever done a prayer walk, you can thank Janet. Or, you may want to order her Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus. Imagine! Who writes a book like that? Someone who has a lifetime of curiosity and practice getting in front of God via prayer, that’s who. I can’t wait!
Also, our Easy Smeasy Thank You Note Cheat Sheet is available for a limited time FREE by clicking here to sign up for our weekly updates on all things companionship! (We love it when folks sign up or forward to friends!!❤️)
Cathy Krafve, Columnist, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, and Christian Writer, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.
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