Journal Prompts

The Unofficial and Unwritten (but you better follow them or everyone will think you suck) Rules of Being a Modern Mom:

1.  You can take care of yourself, but only after you’ve taken care of everyone else. Don’t even think about going to bed before the dishes are put away, the laundry is taken care of, and tomorrow’s lunches are ready to go.  If you can’t do it all yourself, make sure you delegate.  You will be to blame if it’s not all done.

2.  Don’t discipline your child in any way in public. Your kids are expected to act like angels, be polite, be cute, but all discipline that would actually make them that way is to be done behind closed doors.  If you discipline in public, you will be seen as harsh, overbearing, or unfair to the adorable little dears that “are probably really sorry.”

3.  Spend LOTS of money on your kid.  Everyone knows that’s what shows you love them. Their little psyches might be damaged if they don’t have name-brand clothes, ridiculously priced baby Toms or Uggs that they will outgrow in three months.  And when Christmas comes, you will be judged as a mom by how many gifts you give your kids and the extravagance with which you spoil them.

4.  Don’t talk about your food standards for your child in public either.  We live in a country raging with adult and childhood obesity.  We have elementary kids with weight-induced diabetes, but if you talk about not giving your kid sugar, requiring healthy snacks, and not allowing junk food, you will be branded a horrible mom who denies her kids their childhood.

5.  Spend every waking second you have with your child.  There is not time for letting your child play by themselves!  You will be considered the worst mom ever if you do not devote all of your free time to spending quality time with your child.  Sure, you should work out, make dinner, take care of the household (see Rule #1), but all of that should not interfere with the limited time you have to bond and nurture your child.

6.  And whatever you do, NEVER complain about your motherly duties.  There are lots of women who can’t have kids. And, after all, you chose to be a mom.  Besides, only the most cold-hearted, horrible mother could not recognize the amazing gift of motherhood and thank God for the pleasure of the job everyday.

Now You…

1.  Write your own unofficial and unwritten (but you better follow them) rules based on your own life experiences.

OR…if you prefer

2.  Sticks have long been used to measure the tides.  Long after the water has receded, a mark on the stick—the watermark—is visible.  It’s a great metaphor for the defining moments in our lives—events that are long past but still leave their mark on us.  Here are some of mine:

·      Choosing Central College

·      Studying abroad

·      Taking a year off to go to grad school

·      Southall convincing me to start running

·      Meeting my husband

·      My first marathon

·      The birth of my daughter

Consider some of your own watermark experiences and explore one or two of them.