Failure

I've been struggling with my kids lately.  We've moved houses, and the stress of the whole situation (as well as the transition to new bedrooms, new routines, and a new school) is starting to get to all of us.  One of the questions that often find runs through my mind is, "Am I failing as a mother?"

A year ago, even having this question enter my mind would throw me into a torrent of guilt and self-shame over things I had done or hadn't done.  I shouldn't have yelled at my poor son for spilling the honey.  I should be teaching them better; I should be teaching them more instead of letting their brains rot in front of the television.

Thankfully, that question now offers a serious time for reflection.  I can pause before I burden myself with guilt.  I can see it as an honest question.

In order to know if I'm failing, I need to know what failure looks like.  For me, being a mother is about love.  Do my children know that I love them?  Yes.  Therefore, I am not failing.  I might not be excelling at motherhood in a temporal sense--- my birthday parties are not pinterest worthy, my body is still soft and baggy from my last pregnancy...two years ago, my house is definitely not organized, and my husband has to fix dinner most nights because I'm simply too burned out--- but in an eternal sense, I am a successful mother because I love my kids and I show them love.

It's nice to be able to see things more clearly than I did a few years ago.  Guilt and shame do not need to be part of my daily existence.  That's something that I came to terms with as I learned more about the Chakras.  Learn more about the chakras at Bodhi Yoga.