Patience is a Mother

Have patience, please.

Patient is an adjective that at times appropriately defines motherhood. One of its meanings to calmly endure confusion, inefficiency, difficulty, etc. or to be tolerant and understanding. (The noun form of this word is patience -The capacity, quality, or fact of being patient.)

For me it is something I have to remind myself to be each and every day now that I’m a mother. My daughter is 3 years old and everyday, sometimes it seems every minute, she tests her boundaries and my patients. This is normal and what she is should be doing this at her age. But sometimes when you’re a mom, or parent, you just need a few minutes without a test, to find that tolerance and understanding again. We shouldn’t feel guilty about needing this time. When I can’t get relief I remind myself that this to will pass, just as all the stages in our children’s lives, good and bad, pass, sometimes too quickly.

Why is it so important to practice being patient? Everyday I remind myself that she learns and copies my behavior, that she is not doing these things to be mean, but to see how I deal with the situation that she puts in me in. I want my daughter to grow up to be tolerant and understanding. I need to try and do what I want her to emulate, and that also includes not being perfect all the time.

No mothering style is alike, just like no person is, but all of the wonderful mothers I know have patientce. It is something that is difficult to capture in photos, but here are a couple from my Motherhood series. This is a catholic mother of 6 who home schools and makes it all look so easy. Her children are sweet, well behaved and just wonderful to be around. I had the pleasure of spending a day watching their routines one day, so I could document her for my series.