‘Mother Culture’: n. an atmosphere or attitude which exemplifies a consciously active pursuit of development toward the whole person and being of motherhood.
Karen Andreola is credited with reviving this term and
speaks and blogs about creative ways of being a mom and an individual-simultaneously. Imagine that!
Perspectives are so important-how we see ourselves, others,
our situations, or seasons in life. Remember
last time we talked about that ‘comparison trap’ when we emphasized that we are
all different people with different perspectives, and yet we share so many
things. We are all complete persons-not
just MOPS moms on Friday mornings, not just accountants or homemakers or human
resources executives, not just wives to our husbands, not just Christians on
Sundays. We are a whole person with all
of those things bringing to bear on our uniqueness. We can’t compartmentalize ourselves and
imagine we are complete, healthy souls.
We know that the only completeness we have is through Jesus Christ. Joy spills over in our daily life with this
perspective - When our love for Jesus is so consuming that nothing can displace
him in our affections. We see and understand more of his beauty. Our true joy
is found only in him; yet because of this love, it allows us freedom to enjoy
all he gives in an abundant life! We
need an abundant life perspective!
True joy in Christ gives us the freedom to see the beauty of
God. The overall atmosphere of our homes
can be a reflection of that truth. As moms, we often set the tone of our homes,
and an abundant life perspective can be a blessing to our families. A great gift to give your children is to keep
learning and growing. Take time to look
at things from a new view. Don’t just watch your little ones – enjoy it
yourself. Learn along side. Don’t miss the joy! After all, who doesn’t enjoy Pooh stories and
Robert Louis Stevenson poems, spotting the Barred owl, or watching squirrels
race? Practice Mother Culture! Think
outside the box. OK, so maybe this isn’t
the season of dedicated time on some personal pursuit, but you can learn
amazing things with your preschool child!
There are some really profound thinkers in our midst. They ask the most amazing questions and
wonder about truly worthwhile ideas.
Don’t you wonder why that girl with the pearl earring Vermeer painted is
dressed in such unusual clothes? Why do
Bach fugues sound like they belong to medieval castles? How do those squirrels know which limbs will
hold their weight when they jump to the next tree? Why do candles look so bright in a dark
room? What makes Grandma’s quilts so
heavy? You can’t know things you don’t think
about. You need things to think on just
as much as your children. What discoverers we can be together. It starts with a Mother Culture attitude and
a consciously active pursuit of knowing, creating relationships with things and
ideas. If we forget to enjoy the same
things our children do, we miss so much fun and learning. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, we are old enough that
it’s time to start reading fairy tales again. 