3 ways to better serve moms with young kids

It had been one of those mornings already. I’d been up two to three times at night with my newborn, my 2-year-old was in one of her moods resisting my authority on just about everything, and my 4-year-old had to get out the door for preschool. We were running late, and my husband had already been at work for two hours. I still had the whole day ahead of me.

I felt like I was going to have a panic attack from all the responsibilities on my shoulders, not to mention the laundry piled up, snacks all over the floor, and constant noise and screaming echoing from the hard wood floors. It was all I could do to get my own clothes on.

To my surprise later that day, my new friend AnnElise from my Mothers of Preschoolers group asked if she could pop in with her kids to say hello. I was excited for her company. At the doorstep, her arms were filled with flowers; an entire meal of homemade enchiladas, rice, beans and made-from-scratch cupcakes; toys for the kids; nutrition bars; and more.

My jaw dropped, and I almost cried. AnnElise had no idea what my morning looked like, but she knew I had a newborn and two young kids to care for. She was in the same boat as me. Her acts of kindness helped me in my pit of despair and were a tangible reminder of God’s love and how he saw me in my desperation and weakness.

All moms of young children face unique challenges: sleep deprivation, constant demands for attention, discipline challenges, depression, anxiety, fears, a sense of losing control, a difficult spouse and loneliness, just to mention a few. They need a helping hand but are often unsure how to ask for it or may feel like a burden to others — even though they’re not.
 

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