We’re Not All Raising Our Kids The Same Way, But We All Need Grace Just The Same

“We’re not all raising our kids the same way.

And if that wasn’t apparent before the pandemic, good ole’ corona, lockdowns, mask-wearing ordinances, and a fiery presidential election sure brought that fact to life.

The fact that:

we all believe different things,

all have varied, sometimes wavering, other times happily stuck-in-the-mud points of view on things,

and we all have the way we are (and want) to raise our youngins’.

We’re not all raising our kids the same way, but we all need grace in the same way.

Because underneath that messy toddler t-shirt is a child whose mother loves him.

And underneath that tween’s Lilly Pulitzer dress that matches her mama’s is a child whose mother loves her.

And inside that spotless or messy house are kids and a mama who loves them.

And at the store, those loud, unruly kids and the quiet and well-behaved ones are both products of a mama who loves them.

The child that eats his vegetables, his mama loves him… in the same way the mother of the child who won’t even look at anything that’s not a dino nugget does.

The straight-A student, the one getting all ‘excellent’ marks, her mama loves her… just as much as the mama whose kid is struggling in school.

A mother’s love isn’t visible; you can’t define it by its apparent features — though we often try.

A mother’s love lives inside a child, and a child with love inside of them is without a doubt the most beautiful thing in the world.

So give grace to each other.

See beyond your line of sight and into the heart of a mama.

Cause when you look into the heart of mama, you see her kids, and when you see her kids, well, if you stay and look deep enough, you’ll see her heart.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Nicole Merritt of Jthreenme. You can follow her on Facebook, her website, or podcast. Get her new book, Musings for Mom, here. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more from Nicole here:

‘I expected him to tell me, ‘Yeah, I’ve noticed. You’ve got to do something about that anxiety.’ He didn’t though.’: Mom grateful for husband’s love when sharing insecurities

‘Do I send my child to their brick and mortar campus and worry about their physical health EVERY SINGLE DAY?’: Mom shares frustrations for fall school re-openings

‘You’ll never remember these nights. When I lie in bed, listening to you breathe, and question if someone, anyone, could do this better.’: Mom says ‘you’ll never remember these nights, but I will’

‘I don’t want a tribe because tribes have leaders. There I said it.’: Mom explains why she’d rather have ‘damn good friends’ than a ‘tribe’

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