"I Would Never...!"

In general, I am a fairly opinionated person. For most of my life, I have held to the belief that I am right unless you can prove to me I'm not. :) Well, something about having children, getting to know other moms, and learning from Papi, have helped me to take a slightly different view of things.

I am not perfect. I don't always do the right things, and I often make mistakes. That being said, I do pray that God guide me, seek counsel from those I trust, and truly try to do what's best - especially when it comes to decisions for and about my children.

This is something I have been thinking about for awhile (since becoming a mother) as the following comments have been said to me and I've heard similar comments spoken of about other moms:

"I would never teach my children any language before English!"
"I would never consider that medical treatment for my child!"
"I would never be a working mother!"
"I would never be a stay-at-home mother!"
"I would never give my infant formula!"
"I would never homeschool!"

As parents, these are decisions we have made, are making, or will have to make in the future. Since God loves variety and therefore made each of us unique, the reality of these decisions will look different for each family. It's not for us to understand the decision made by other families, but to be supportive as we all try to raise our children.

We each need to pray to God, seek wise counsel, and do the best we can for our own children. Believing that other moms are doing likewise goes a long way in supporting each other in a job that is a gift from God, yet difficult enough as it is.