Wanna know what one thing has made the difference in becoming a better mother to my children?
I made this 4-minute video to tell the answer to that question, and why I write at jessconnell.com.
One of the lies moms have been fed in this past decade or so is that “you’re the expert” and that “you innately possess all the mothering wisdom you need.”
I’ll just tell you straight out: I think that’s hogwash.
Having other women open their hearts and lives to me, so that I could learn from them, has been one of the biggest blessings of my life, and has made me into a far better mom than I would have been on my own.
Because I’ve lived a here-there-and-everywhere life (moving 13 times in our first 14 years of marriage), I know what it’s like to try to piece together wisdom from various women in various places. I have not lived close to any one woman for more than 3-4 years at a go in my adult life, and so for me, having women who have been willing to share with me through books, videos, online course, blogs, and blogs and other public formats, has been tremendously beneficial. Living a highly-mobile life for those early years of motherhood convinced me of the value of public sharing of wisdom gained.
Modern women live isolated lives, and we move a lot. Not only do we not have individual wisdom gained from experience (the way previous generations inherently had, by being a part of large families, and by having their mothers and teachers instill household-management skills in them before they hit full-on womanhood, but we also, oftentimes, lack access to collective wisdom.
Because modern women move often, and have more transient relationships with extended family, we lack the communal structure on which we would have previously depended in order to GET the wisdom we need for this marathon-like task of mothering.
I don’t believe we get better just by moaning and kvetching about how horrible and how hard motherhood is, or by giving every problem we encounter a diagnosis or label. I think we get better by looking at women who are doing aspects of it with EXCELLENCE, and by emulating their choices, we become more skillful, more excellent, and more discerning mothers.
THAT’s why I write here.
I am trying to make the wisest, best choices I can in mothering, and yet I don’t believe that everything I choose will be 100% right for you. However, I believe there’s inherent value in me sharing about our choices, so that you can (possibly) make better choices, and so that you can be refined and sharpened in the hows and whys of what YOU’RE doing there in YOUR home and family.
I value you, as a reader, and I want to share what will be most helpful for you. You can help me do that by leaving comments, “liking” and sharing articles on Facebook (so I know what resonates with and helps you), and continuing to read and interact. Thanks for joining me in this lifelong quest to honor God as we pursue being the best women, wives, and mothers that we can be.
Here are the top articles I’ve written to help you evaluate your mothering:
IN THE COMMENTS, PLEASE SHARE: How have you benefitted from other moms who are willing to open their homes and lives to you?
Thanks Jess!!?Appreciate your wisdom as a mom of 7. I’m sure I can learn tips being a mom of 5.
So glad you did this video! 🙂 I’ve been pronouncing your last name WRONG all these YEARS! LOL 😀
I appreciate the wisdom and practical tips you share here! You are a blessing!
Ha! You and everyone else. 🙂 I wish there was something that rhymed with it so I could write it out- Connell rhymes with _________. I suppose I could do Terrell, like Terrell Davis? But then most homeschooling moms don’t know him. LOL
Hmm….that’s a good point! There isn’t much that rhymes! 🙂 What about “a bell”? 😀