(un)Natural Mom

Every once in awhile I listen to a broadcast on Focus on the Family that I'm still thinking about months and months later.  A broadcast based on the book (un)Natural Mom by Hettie Brittz resonated with me so much that the principles I learned continue to echo through my days even now.  The part of the message that has really stuck with me has been the idea that each mom is created with a unique personality type.  Hettie has identified four main categories that these personality types fall into, which she uses trees to help illustrate (if you're interested in the categories Hettie identifies check out this interview here).  I haven't read Hettie's book, but as I listened to her talk about it on the radio, I knew in an instant that I am a "pine tree".

Pine trees are known for their peace and harmony, for being a safe place and providing a consistent listening ear.  I'm not going to pretend to live up to the best of those characteristics all the time, but I naturally gravitate in those directions.  As I continued to listen to Hettie perfectly describe my mothering tendencies, I began to understand that the very characteristics that help me pursue & create peace in my home are the same character traits that make it difficult for me to set a routine or create a schedule.

Understanding why I was struggling so much to be consistent about Nicole's schedule gave me the freedom and permission to start putting extra energy into it.  Being able to recognize where my strengths as a parent were lacking helped to push me out of the rut I was stuck in.  Only a few days after the broadcast initially aired, I had created a consistent nap time for Nicole as well as a predictable bed time routine.  Our days felt freer and I felt relieved since I had been struggling with when to nap Nicole for months.  It was like I just needed to know that the very thing I felt was a deficit in my personality was also one of my greatest strengths.  I will probably never naturally create or abide by strict schedules or routines but I recognize their value and I know when I need them.  I wouldn't have been able to work through the perpetual sleep issues in our home without understanding how my strengths and weaknesses were helping and hurting the problem.

I continue to be thankful for the ministry of Focus on the Family and all of the ways they have equipped me to be a better wife and mom over the last year and a half.  If you haven't already done so, I strongly encourage you to download their daily broadcast app so you can tune into the broadcasts at your leisure.  I would also love to note that I recently learned that Focus on the Family has an entire ministry dedicated to singles called Boundless and they have a podcast you can subscribe to if listening to talks on marriage and parenting isn't really your thing :).

Have a great week!
Love,
Erica