By: Heather Patenaude
The other day I had a good hair day! And you’re all now asking why this matters to you, right!?
Well, my sister offered to watch my three boys while I ran to Wal-Mart. I got ready and my hair turned out great! I put on make-up and a fun shirt! I felt put together…amazing!
I shopped ALONE! No kids pulling on me, no one pulling the cart in the opposite direction, no one fighting over who is going to put something in the cart for me, and my hair looked good (at least to me..okay before I sound vain most days my hair doesn’t get done. When I do my hair the boys will ask: Are we going to church? or Are you going on a date with dad? So get the idea, I don’t do my hair often!)
I have had days where I’ve shopped with three boys in tow, them pulling on me, tugging for something, crying, or fighting over something. I feel frazzled and frustrated. I can’t even imagine what I must look like to others. (Note to any non-moms…you will be “that” mom at least once!)
Then, in my frantic state, I see a woman with no kids in her cart, her hair is done, she looks put together, she has no stains on her clothes…and I think, “That woman has got a secret…and I want to know what it is! She looks like she doesn’t have a care in the world!”
So walking around Wal-Mart I thought, “Oh funny…I am that mom!” Of course it’s not a secret and I do have cares, but know the One who carries my cares. Also, this day was just a thumbnail sketch of my life.
Moms don’t we do this all too often? We look at other women and compare ourselves to them. Maybe they are thinner than us, or they have nice hair. Maybe they are kid-free or just look like they’ve got it together. Chances are she’s got struggles, pain, frustrations, and who knows maybe is was a freak accident her hair looked so nice that day!
Let’s agree here to stop judging other moms by their good hair days or their not-so-good hair days! Let’s stop looking to other women to see if we’re “measuring up”! There’s only one Person we should look to for our “measuring up”, and He cares more about our hearts than our hair!
HEATHER PATENAUDE is passionate about living a Christ-centered life. This passion flows over to being a wife to John and a homeschool mom to: Miles 8, Luke 6, and Clark 3. Heather is “doing” motherhood right along the side of most of you and hopes that she can encourage you to look beyond your “bath time” challenges and embrace the beautiful calling of motherhood!
Picture from: Daniel LaBelle Photography and thanks to my fashionable friend Susie for letting me use her picture! She is put together all of the time, but her kids are grown 