“You are such a good mom.” Those words were medicine to my tired heart. They were Tylenol for my splitting headache. Motrin for my annoying cramps. And serotonin for my dejected mood.

Six simple words strung together were all I needed to hear. I just needed to be seen for everything I was trying to be. Recognized for the role no one is ever fully qualified for. Complimented when my inner voice was critical.

Being a mom is exhausting. It’s demanding. It’s never-ending. It’s not always rewarding. It’s not always pretty. It’s hardly ever restful or uneventful. Accepting those truths doesn’t wish away motherhood, but it does mean we need support.

We need to hear encouragement. We need to give encouragement. We need each other.

RELATED: Want to Support a Mom in Your Life? Tell Her She’s Doing a Good Job.

The medicine my heart needed was administered by my own mother. She knew because she had been there. She is still therestill mothering me even as I mother my two.

Her words stopped me in my tracks for two reasons. One, because I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear that. And two, because a great mother was showing approval to, what I felt, was a subpar mother.

But I’ve come to realize that the really good moms are the ones who never feel good enough. They recognize their shortcomings. They want to be better, to do better. They admire the way that mom talks to her kids. The way that one interacts with her son. The way that one instills self-confidence into her daughter. The patience and creativity that one has. We compare because we want to be better. It doesn’t make it right, but it does make sense.

RELATED: I Stopped Trying to Be a Perfect Mom and Started Believing I Was a Good One

What we really need to hear is “you are such a good mom” from our peers. From the ones for whom we have so much respect. We need medicine that only other moms can give.

We need each other.

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Megan Kewaza

Megan Kewaza has been a missionary in Russia, India, and Uganda. She has written curricula, blogs, and articles that highlight trauma-competent caregiving, living out the Christian faith, and motherhood. Her heart is for her readers to feel understood, represented, and accepted. Megan and her Ugandan husband, Emmanuel, share their home in Knoxville, Tennessee with their two children, Josiah and Rebecca. Together, they have founded an organization that seeks to empower Ugandan parents so they can provide for the children in their care. You can learn more at causeuganda.org.

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