Mentor Moms

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Once upon a time, I was young mom with two little boys who was determined to homeschool. A homeschooling mom who was a little older, with kids older and the same ages as mine, invited me to come shadow her for the day. A mentoring relationship was born, one for which I will always be grateful. Mary is no longer homeschooling, but, as our children get older and I find myself trying to navigate the even trickier waters of teens and young adults, she is still a mentor and I am reminded anew how blessed I am to have her.

So, when that mom, who is a writer too, asked me if I would help her hear what women are thinking about mentoring, I was happy to do so. 

Mary Hasson, asks, "I am writing a piece  on "mentor moms,"  focusing on the idea that  momswho are beyond the baby years have time and wisdom to share with their younger counterparts. [Some churches]  have established programs that bring younger moms and older moms together in those kinds of relationships.  In [other churches], these relationships seem to establish themselves more informally or organically.

" I would love to hear from your readers on two points:  If they are younger moms:  Would they be interested in a mentoring relationship with an older mom and, if so, what qualities would they look for? I'd love to hear their stories of moms who filled that role or how they found a mentor.

" For older moms:  Are they open to sharing their time and wisdom?  What do they feel they have to give? How would they begin such a relationship (suggesting it to a younger mom or wait to be asked)? Again, I'd love to hear stories of the mentors in their own lives or how they have become involved in mentoring younger moms (however informally)."

So, have you been blessed by a mentor? Have you reached out to mentor? Do you wish you had a mentor? Do you find mentors in your neighborhood, your parish, online?

You can reply here, in the comments, or you can write to Mary directly at catholicmentormoms@gmail.com.

Let's talk!

"I'm sorry; I can't do that."

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It was a job I loved. Mostly, I worked from home, editing amagazine written for mothers at home, by mothers at home. Though I was one of the youngest women on the staff, I had considerable responsibility and creative license. I loved the writing; I loved the once or twice  monthly meetings in the office. And I was ever so grateful for the wise, thoughtful women who were personal mentors as much as they were professional colleagues.

 

So, it was with considerable regret that I resigned. I remember the moment of that decision. I had a new baby—my third—and we were camped out on my bed. He was nursing, propped up on my lap as I spread manuscripts into piles all over the bed and reached for them as best I could without detaching. It didn’t take much for the irony to strike.

 

I was working so hard to promote mindful mothering, to encourage smart women to choose home, and yet here I was shortchanging the most basic of all mothering experiences. I was leaning over my nursing baby to get to my work. I was wedging conversations with my young children between phone calls to writers and publishers. I was making all my editorial deadlines, often at the expense of the relationships under my roof. Some women were able to juggle all that and more with love and grace, but not me. Not well. It was time to acknowledge that I could do one thing well, but not both. There just wasn’t enough of me. I learned to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”

 

And I’ve said it again and again in the years since then.

 

I’m sorry, I can’t speak at that conference, though it would be a dream come true and I’m so honored that you thought of me.  [Y'all please go and tell me all about it.]

 

I’m sorry I can’t work on that project, though it tickles every creative bone in body.

 

I’m sorry, I can’t go to the homeschool support group meeting tonight.

 

I’m sorry, I can’t take that phone call, even though it’s a good friend and a chat would be a nice diversion right now.

 

Do you know about the rocks, the pebbles, and the sand? Go read it; I’ll wait.

 

I’m sorry, I just can’t do that thing that looks so good. I have to put the big rocks in first, and I have more big rocks than the average bear.

 

My son and I had a talk about time management recently and it forced me to sit and evaluate my “big rocks.”

 

I am committed to a life of prayer.

 I am committed to nurturing a marriage of grace.

 I am committed to raising nine faithful children.

 

Big, big rocks.

 

The rest is pebbles. And frankly, there’s not a whole lot of room for sand.

 

Living commitment to the big rocks is a decision.

 

Sometimes, as when I left the magazine or an online haven that had been a second home, it’s a big, huge decision.

 

More often, it’s a series of small decisions, like reading email but not stopping to answer it right away (or sadly, sometimes not ever) or forgoing lots of daily conversation with other women in order to save my words and my heart for the man who comes through the door at night.

Or the God who waits for me to talk with Him.

 

People often ask “how I do it.”

 

All too often, the answer is “not very well.”

 

But those are always the times when I haven’t said it.


“I’m sorry; I can’t do that.”

 

 

The "Plan" Part of Planning for a Peaceful Home

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In prior columns, I’ve explored the ideas of a morning offering andof time set aside to listen and hear God. Now, for the “plan” part of the plan for a peaceful home.

We begin by offering the day to the Lord, opening ourselves to the grace He freely offers and ensuring that even our failures are redemptive. Then, during a time of spiritual reading and meditation, we listen to Him, and we resolve to do whatever He tells us to do that day. Usually, I write this resolution in a little notebook, where I can refer to it and remind myself of it throughout the day. The resolution fits within the context of my daily life, my work in the world, my vocation in the home. And it’s that “daily life” component that needs a clear direction.Read the rest here.

And then c'mon back and tell me your best planning tips in the comment box.