The Clueless Mama gets a Clue!

Back in the 1970s and 80s, many moms were wooed into the workforce by the increasing prestige and income that motherhood never begets. They left home to pursue success that could be measured in money.

Some women (like my mom) really wanted to devote themselves to keeping the homefires burning, but divorce required them to bring home the bacon instead.

Nowadays, education that leads to climbing the corporate ladder is easier to obtain than education that leads to canning the garden harvest...


My generation has seriously suffered from the lack of moms at home, and I don't want to pass on those losses to my children. So, even though I have a bachelor's degree, I forsake a career, determined to be a full-time mother, choosing to treat motherhood as more than a biological state of being.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to all the elements of motherhood (schedules, nutrition, discipline, housekeeping).

Or am I?!?!?!

Luckily, there are plenty of experts telling me how to fulfill all those motherly roles. Unfortunately, the experts don't all agree.  This is both frustrating AND liberating. Heck, if they can hold such opposing viewpoints and still all of them be experts, why can't I join in the fray?

While I don't claim to be an expert, I do feel like I'm starting to get a clue.

I'm a mom, and my children will gladly tell you that I make mistakes. For some mystical reason, though, I feel empowered to continue to progress in my role as a mother!

I  want to share with other mothers the enthusiasm and encouragement to dig in and really grow and feel strong and do our best in the process of mothering -- even when our best feels dismally inadequate -- knowing that we are contributing to society in a way that a career outside the home never can match.

My mantra is to forgive my mistakes -- laugh at myself and be willing to share the funny stories about putting the diaper on backwards with other mothers. Sometimes, because I recognize the importance of my role, I reject the notion to relax... But learning to be laid back has been essential to enjoying more and more of these maternal moments -- and enjoying has led to embracing and celebrating rather than trying to escape.

And so I share here, at the Clueless Mama blog, my journey!  Here I document my discoveries from the depths of the day-to-day drudgery that have led me to believe that I'm not as clueless as I often feel.  It's good to remind myself of that!

Please share with me when you feel like you get a clue -- we're all in this together and I want to learn from you, too!