Oh motherhood, I had grand plans for you!  I just KNEW I had you all figured out and would be a mother for the history books once I was finally blessed with children.

Looking back I want to laugh out loud at my oh-so naive self!

And I’m not the only mom who thought I had motherhood figured out before it began!

My latest mom poll results had me nodding in agreement as women answered the question, “Why didn’t they tell me THIS about motherhood?!”

1. I rarely feel rested.

I’m pretty sure moms aren’t well rested until the kids go to college!

Most women hit the ground running and don’t sit down much until the kids are in bed. As a mom, I manage to function on much less sleep than I ever imagined!

2. Motherhood will not force me to be more organized.

Not only did I not become more organized with motherhood, I now have tiny people consistently undoing my hard work.

I am learning, though, to go with the flow and know I will miss tripping over toys and seeing crayon filled walls when they are grown.

3. Being a mom doesn’t complete me.

No matter how much you love and cherish your children, motherhood does not and can not completely fill a person.

It can’t satisfy that craving in your soul, because motherhood was never designed to be your everything.

That’s God’s job; to satisfy that gnawing void inside you with His love and peace.

4. There are times I feel like the worst mother in the world.

Some days I’m pretty sure I’m related to the Wicked Witch of the West or any other Disney villain.

There are days I’m pretty sure I’m messing up my children and just pray that they turn out alright despite me.

Insert guilty head hang and deep sigh…….

5. Some parts of your body are never the same after giving birth!

“Things” lose gravity and elasticity after having a baby!

There are parts of me that will never look as though they did before, but it couldn’t be more worth it!

6. As a mother, I need God more than ever!

Becoming a mom has tested my strength, patience, and compassion.

We are called to love and serve like Jesus, yet when a child tantrums again and again, I realize I am unable to be the kind of mom I want to be on my own.

I need God’s help to get me though each day!

7. Motherhood evokes a wide range of emotions, and you can feel them all within 60 seconds.

When I look at my child, I can be consumed with overwhelming love, admiration, and awe of this precious life. Just a few seconds later, that little miracle can make me angry, enraged, and want to shed tears of frustration!

8. I feel every ounce of my child’s pain, and want to fix it, but often can’t.

When they hurt, you hurt too, right mama?  Our instinct is to soothe and make things right, and it’s difficult to stand back and feel powerless.

Yet, God calls us to lay our children, hurts and all, before Him and to remember that He has a plan greater than we see in our humanity.

9. You just never know what will come out of those tiny mouths.

Whether being brutally honest and sparing no feelings {really, I didn’t need the reminder that I have a big wrinkle between my eyes!} or spilling the family secrets, kids have no filter!  Sometimes it’s cause to laugh and remark about their cleverness or sometimes, it’s cause to cringe!

10. It’s a gift to experience life through their eyes.

There’s nothing better than watching their curious minds discover the world around them and learn new concepts!

Alight ladies, which one of these do you identify with the most?

Do you agree with these answers or have your own item you wish someone had told you about motherhood?