Our Keepsake Journal is Here! 🎉

I know it’s hard to put away those newborn jammies. It’s only been a month. How could she grow so much in such a short time? The last 4 weeks of endless nursing sessions and diaper changes and no sleep made the time fly by. It was so hazy. It was so hard.

You found yourself wanting the hours to pass quicker.

“Newborns are so needy,” you whisper to yourself in the haze of the night.

You just want a moment to yourself.

And now as you bring that tiny pink sleeper to your nose and smell in your little girl’s sweet smell you wonder, “Did you wish it all away? Did you enjoy the baby snuggles?”

***
I know you’re thrilled to finally be out of the diaper stage. You’re saving so much money now that they can go on their own. No more messes and late night changes. It’s a milestone you’re excited to reach.

But as she runs to you after another successful potty session, you find yourself a bit weepy. How did your baby girl grow so fast? She’s so independent now. A fast-moving toddler who seems to need you less and her favorite cartoon more. Wasn’t she just a baby?

***

School days are upon us. You helped her pick the perfect backpack. She can tie her own shoes and even attempts to brush her hair. What a beautiful young lady she is becoming. It’s a new stage for her, for you too. She’ll spend her mornings and afternoons learning and growing and you’ll spend your days figuring out a new routine.

What will fill your time now that she is in school? You longed for this day since she was a baby. Time for yourself and your own passions. Of course, you’re excited for this new adventure and for her new adventure, too.

But in the silence of the morning, the one that used to be filled with cartoons and silly laughs, you wonder if she’ll think about you during school. You wonder if she’ll need you as much as you need her.

***

You see her out of the corner of your eye. She’s carrying that sweet-smelling bubble bath she received as a Christmas present from Santa. You hear the water running and the door close.

When did she start taking a shower without you asking? When was the last time you helped wash her little body?

You can’t remember.

You love this age of in-between, where your 8-year-old is finding herself but still needs to spend time with mom. She still asks to play games and to be tucked in at night. She still wants your help, but loves to discover things on her own, too.

But sometimes at night, when she wants to tell you yet another story or read yet another book, you get frustrated. You know she is delaying bedtime and you so badly long for that bath and glass of wine.

“Go to bed,” you tell her.

As you run your own bath and sink into the bubbles, your mind wonders, “Am I spending enough time with her?” You know she needs you right now, and you need her too. You make a promise to yourself to be more patient with those late-night stories.

***

You’ve been so frustrated with her mood swings lately. Age 17 is so hard and you know it, because you were her age once too. “What goes around comes around,” they say.

Boy is that true.

When she broke curfew (for the second time) you knew it was time for a serious grounding.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” she yells at the top of the stars. “I don’t need you!”

You close your eyes, take a deep breath, ask God for patience and long for the days when she was tiny.

***

It’s the first day of college. You’ve prepared your heart for 18 years, and you think you’re ready to let her fly. You know she’s ready.

“You can let go now, Mom” she smiles as you hug her tight in the small dorm apartment.

You turn away quickly so she doesn’t see your tears.

“Goodbye,” you holler as you walk down the hall – hand in hand with her daddy.

As you drive away from your girl and towards a new life, you turn to your husband with tears in your eyes and whisper, “She doesn’t need us anymore.”

***

Your girl is now a grown woman. She’s found the love of her life and she’s living her own dreams in a city far from you. She thought about living closer, but you encouraged her to travel.

“Live your dreams,” you always said. “Promise me you’ll take big adventures.”

She did just that.

But her biggest adventure has just begun.

In the quiet of that hospital room, your daughter’s husband of 5 years, hands the baby over to the new mama and asks, “Do you need anything?”

She looks at him with a tear in her eye and says, “Yes. I need my mom. Please hand me my phone so I can hear her voice.”

***

Don’t worry, sweet Mama. Through each new stage, your babies will need you just as much as you need them.

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Leslie Means

Leslie is the founder and owner of Her View From Home.com. She is also a former news anchor, published children’s book author, weekly columnist, and has several published short stories as well. She is married to a very patient man. Together they have three fantastic kids.  When she’s not sharing too much personal information online and in the newspaper – you’ll find Leslie somewhere in Nebraska hanging out with family and friends. There’s also a 75% chance at any given time, you’ll spot her in the aisles at Target.

Dear Child, You Are Not Responsible for How Anyone Else Feels about You

In: Kids, Motherhood, Teen, Tween
Teen girl looking in the mirror putting on earrings

Dear kiddo, I have so many dreams for you. A million hopes and desires run through my mind every day on a never-ending loop, along with worries and fears, and so, so much prayer. Sometimes, it feels like my happiness is tied with ropes of steel to yours. And yet, the truth is, there are times you disappoint me. You will continue to disappoint me as you grow and make your own choices and take different paths than the ones I have imagined for you. But I’m going to tell you a secret (although I suspect you already know): My...

Keep Reading

Being a Hands-on Dad Matters

In: Kids, Living
Dad playing with little girl on floor

I am a hands-on dad. I take pride in spending time with my kids. Last week I took my toddler to the park. He’s two and has recently outgrown peek-a-boo, but nothing gets him laughing like him seeing me pop into the slide to scare him as he goes down. He grew to like this so much that he actually would not go down the slide unless he saw me in his range of vision going down. When it’s time to walk in the parking lot he knows to hold my hand, and he grabs my hand instinctively when he needs help...

Keep Reading

5 Kids in the Bible Who Will Inspire Yours

In: Faith, Kids
Little girl reading from Bible

Gathering my kids for morning Bible study has become our family’s cornerstone, a time not just for spiritual growth but for real, hearty conversations about life, courage, and making a difference. It’s not perfect, but it’s ours. My oldest, who’s 11, is at that age where he’s just beginning to understand the weight of his actions and decisions. He’s eager, yet unsure, about his ability to influence his world. It’s a big deal for him, and frankly, for me too. I want him to know, deeply know, that his choices matter, that he can be a force for good, just...

Keep Reading

A Mother’s Love is the Best Medicine

In: Kids, Motherhood
Child lying on couch under blankets, color photo

When my kids are sick, I watch them sleep and see every age they have ever been at once. The sleepless nights with a fussy toddler, the too-hot cheeks of a baby against my own skin, the clean-up duty with my husband at 3 a.m., every restless moment floods my thoughts. I can almost feel the rocking—so much rocking—and hear myself singing the same lullaby until my voice became nothing but a whisper. I can still smell the pink antibiotics in a tiny syringe. Although my babies are now six and nine years old, the minute that fever spikes, they...

Keep Reading

Right Now I’m a Mom Who’s Not Ready to Let Go

In: Child, Kids, Motherhood
Mother and daughter hugging, color photo

We’re doing it. We’re applying, touring, and submitting pre-school applications. It feels a lot like my college application days, and there’s this image in my mind of how fast that day will come with my sweet girl once she enters the school doors. It’s a bizarre place to be because if I’m honest, I know it’s time to let her go, but my heart is screaming, “I’m not ready yet!” She’s four now though. Four years have flown by, and I don’t know how it happened. She can put her own clothes on and take herself to the bathroom. She...

Keep Reading

Each Child You Raise is Unique

In: Kids, Motherhood
Three little boys under a blanket, black-and-white photo

The hardest part about raising children? Well, there’s a lot, but to me, one major thing is that they are all completely different than one another. Nothing is the same. Like anything. Ever. Your first comes and you basically grow up with them, you learn through your mistakes as well as your triumphs. They go to all the parties with you, restaurants, sporting events, traveling—they just fit into your life. You learn the dos and don’ts, but your life doesn’t change as much as you thought. You start to think Wow! This was easy, let’s have another. RELATED: Isn’t Parenting...

Keep Reading

Our Kids Need Us as Much as We Need Them

In: Kids, Motherhood
Little boy sitting on bench with dog nearby, color photo

During a moment of sadness last week, my lively and joyful toddler voluntarily sat with me on the couch, holding hands and snuggling for a good hour. This brought comfort and happiness to the situation. At that moment, I realized sometimes our kids need us, sometimes we need them, and sometimes we need each other at the same time. Kids need us. From the moment they enter the world, infants express their needs through tiny (or loud) cries. Toddlers need lots of cuddling as their brains try to comprehend black, white, and all the colors of the expanding world around...

Keep Reading

Your Kids Don’t Need More Things, They Need More You

In: Faith, Kids, Motherhood
Mother and young girl smiling together at home

He reached for my hand and then looked up. His sweet smile and lingering gaze flooded my weary heart with much-needed peace. “Thank you for taking me to the library, Mommy! It’s like we’re on a date! I like it when it’s just the two of us.” We entered the library, hand in hand, and headed toward the LEGO table. As I began gathering books nearby, I was surprised to feel my son’s arms around me. He gave me a quick squeeze and a kiss with an “I love you, Mommy” before returning to his LEGO—three separate times. My typically...

Keep Reading

This Time In the Passenger Seat is Precious

In: Kids, Motherhood, Teen
Teen driver with parent in passenger seat

When you’re parenting preteens and teens, it sometimes feels like you are an unpaid Uber driver. It can be a thankless job. During busy seasons, I spend 80 percent of my evenings driving, parking, dropping off, picking up, sitting in traffic, running errands, waiting in drive-thru lines. I say things like buckle your seat belt, turn that music down a little bit, take your trash inside, stop yelling—we are in the car, keep your hands to yourself, don’t make me turn this car around, get your feet off the back of the seat, this car is not a trash can,...

Keep Reading

So God Made My Daughter a Wrestler

In: Kids, Motherhood
Young female wrestler wearing mouth guard and wrestling singlet

God made my girl a wrestler. Gosh, those are words I would never have thought I would say or be so insanely proud to share with you. But I am. I know with 100 percent certainty and overwhelming pride that God made my girl a wrestler. But it’s been a journey. Probably one that started in the spring of 2010 when I was pregnant with my first baby and having the 20-week anatomy ultrasound. I remember hearing the word “girl” and squealing. I was over the moon excited—all I could think about were hair bows and cute outfits. And so...

Keep Reading