Gratitude Will Save Your Motherhood
Gratitude will save your motherhood - it saved mine.
Inside each of these blog posts, I hope you find something that resonates with you and helps you feel like a GoodAF mom - because you are! Maybe it’s gratitude, maybe it’s help with caregiver burnout, or maybe it’s mindfulness, I know you will find what works for you.
No matter the method, I know that checking in with ourselves is the simplest way to start any amount of healing.
So if you are unsure what to do next - I would start with self-reflection. And if you are looking for the next step after that, I would try offering a small piece of self-compassion - like “Wow, that is hard” or “Yeah, that’s unfair.”
But if you are looking for a system or a step-by-step path to follow, day after day, you can give gratitude a try.
I like to call that system parenting with gratitude. Why does gratitude matter to parenting? Well, I have been parenting for 14 years. And in the past 14 years, I have felt Mom Guilt, shame, isolation, resentment, burnout, self-doubt, and the list goes on.
And underneath it all lived another issue - right? It was a self-worth issue. A not-good-enough issue. It was rooted in the idea that I was a bad mom. And that issue clouded over everything I did - it was a mindset.
Every time I walked into a room, I brought that mindset with me - the mess on the floor = somehow my fault, the leaky faucet = should have dealt with it this weekend, the breakfast no one ate = I should have listened to what they wanted. I was looking through a cloud.
But as soon as I deliberately started practicing gratitude, there was no argument that I was a good mom because I started to notice all the good things I did every day. I hadn’t been noticing them – I was just focused on all the mistakes and failures that I was making. Because of that low self-worth cloud.
Parenting with gratitude is not only about looking at the good and being complacent; it’s about realigning your mindset to focus on the good so that you can clear out all that negative self-worth talk, and you can say, “Ok, I am starting from a place of good parenting. I am a good mom who makes mistakes” and then you can go from there.
Gratitude builds upon itself from one day to the next –That’s why I like it so much. Using a daily system, I notice the effects of my effort more quickly - and when I do, I want to do more! I want to notice more good things, and I want to do more good things for my kids and for others! I notice that I am a good mom, and I have great kids!!
I hope it works for you too! - Stef
Read Other Posts on Gratitude:
Parenting is hard, but are we making it harder on ourselves? The Second Arrow concept from Buddhism explains how our reaction to stress can add unnecessary suffering. So just how can Parenting with Gratitude® can help shift your perspective?
Parental burnout is real—57% of parents report experiencing it (Ohio State, 2024). But how is burnout different from everyday stress? Learn the signs, the science behind it, and how gratitude can help parents regain balance and resilience. Take the burnout quiz to see where you stand.
Practicing gratitude can transform parenting. Backed by research, this post explores how gratitude builds resilience, enhances self-worth, and creates meaning in the chaos of raising kids. Get started with actionable tips and joy to follow!
Instead of New Year’s Resolutions, I start out each year by making a list of how I want to feel. Try this and many other ways to plant the seeds of gratitude at home in the new year.
As the holiday spirit fills our homes, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of festive preparations, particularly when our attention tends to center on creating magical moments for our kids. However, amid the merry mayhem, it's the perfect time to add activities that not only nurture family connection, but also cultivate gratitude.
Exploring the transformative power of pragmatic hope and gratitude, this post delves into making modern parenthood a more fulfilling and manageable journey with simple practices you can add to your existing routine.
Uncover why modern motherhood can differ from expectations and how shifting societal narratives empower you to raise the next generation.
Discover how gratitude can revive unstructured play, reduce stress, and create safer, closer-knit communities for your kids.
Gratitude serves as a foundation for nurturing connections with other parents and broadening our perspective. It empowers us to embrace our parenting mishaps as integral parts of our journeys, ensuring they do not overshadow our achievements.
Celebrate World Gratitude Day by expressing appreciation to those who support your family. Discover why this annual tradition in September offers a perfect opportunity to thank the everyday heroes in our lives and explore kid-approved ways to infuse gratitude into your September routines!
Motherhood can be isolating and full of self-doubt. This is an open letter to read when you feel at a loss and need a plan to go on.
Break free from the grip of Mom Guilt and embrace a journey of self-compassion and gratitude. Practical actions to shift your mindset, widen your perspective, and nurture a positive parenting experience. Lets release guilt, embrace imperfections, and reclaim control of our emotions!
Unleash your inner goodAF mom with this no-BS guide to cracking the gratitude code.: practical tips and scientific insights tailored for Type A moms. Overcome motivation hurdles and enhance your motherhood journey.
Can we find happiness by looking within and choosing ourselves first? I share my experience of how focusing on gratitude helped me notice the good and how I use my Parenting with Gratitude™ formula to inspire my daily gratitude practice.
Ditch perfection. Parenting with Gratitude® shows how noticing what’s already good can change everything—from burnout to badass self-trust.
The cultural expectations of parenting and the impact of Intensive Parenting on Parents' Mental Health — plus a practice to help you get through!
What if I told you that your toddler’s crusty nose could be a great source of happiness and well-being? You would probably say gross, Stef.
Learn how to parent with gratitude by following the simple equation of Intention + Attention + Action + Repetition = Results. Start with setting a GoodAF Mom Intention, such as being a happier and kinder person.
Recently I decided to ask the ChatGPT AI machine the question: How does Gratitude Improve Parenting? I know from personal experience that gratitude has improved my relationship with my kids, self, and partner — but I wanted to hear what the research AI had to say.
Listen to this post as Podcast - and more!
Buy the book that started it all:
