Dana from Principled Discovery had a very insightful post up the other day called Finding Purpose.

She concludes,

I think the feminist movement has denied a good deal of what it is to be a woman by denying the innate desire to be home, raising children. But I also think the church has done the same by denying her desire to work. In reality, the desire to labor productively and to rear children are two halves to the same person. I think this plays out differently for each person, but I truly believe the key for battling some of the depression and anxiety that frequently accompanies the decision to stay home with children is found in recognizing God’s plan.

This got me thinking about my own experience with being a stay-at-home mom. For me, it has been an ongoing search to find that perfect balance between raising my children and being productive.

Sometimes, I swing too far in the direction of taking care of my kids. I forget that I need to feed that part of my being that is teeming with creative energy and yearning to make a contribution - aside from raising three (hopefully) decent and productive members of society, as important as that is.

Other times, I go off in the opposite direction and forget that the reason I am here, and not sitting at a desk in some office building somewhere, is that I have three kids to raise, care for and educate.

I think that is what happened when I was focusing too much on She’s Right, and why I needed to set that aside.

One thing I now realize, though, is that there never will be that perfect balance between caring for the children and other purposeful work because that line changes like the passing of the seasons.

Right now, for example, there are some things that need tending to with the boys. They need almost constant attention, while we help them process through some difficulties.

But this too shall pass and there will be a time, hopefully soon, God willing, that I am able to focus more on my other pursuits.

Even so, I do tend to fill my days with useful labor, such as making food from scratch, making soap, and working in our vegetable garden, rather than mindless entertainment that can lead to the lack of purpose and depression that Dana was alluding to in her post, and I think that has made a difference in the way I feel about just being a stay-at-home mom.