Finding Meaning in the Mundane

Nobody warned me about the mundaneness of being a stay-at-home mom. Before you have kids, you read all the books on what to expect, and when you are pregnant, everybody loves to chime in with their advice to help prepare you for what’s to come. And while some of the advice might be the calming reassurance you may need in a moment of chaos, no one prepares you for the mundaneness of motherhood. I think we all know it doesn’t look like the perfectly painted images we see on Pinterest. But even those can subtly obscure our perspectives of what motherhood really looks like.

Seven years ago, I was in the throes of toddlerhood. With an eighteen-month-old and a three-year-old, I often prayed for a time to just go to the bathroom by myself. I had made it through the newborn and lack-of-sleep phases, including consoling teething babies in the wee hours of the morning. I was given or read about advice on all those phases, but no one warned me about the long days where the laundry seemed constant and the dishes seemed endless and coffee didn’t help at all.

During those long winter days and after we had been cooped up in the house with no playtime escape to the fresh air outside, Mommy was starting to contemplate the idea of climbing the walls. Picking up the toys that had been scattered all over the living room floor seemed pointless because they would only be dumped back out again—because dumping them out was just as fun as playing with them.

Perhaps you are finding these days I’m describing as all too familiar. Are you in a season of life where you feel like nothing more than a glorified maid? Is your t-shirt used as your toddler’s tissue? Friend, I get it. Life can start to feel pretty boring when you are doing the same routine over and over again, and it consists of nothing more than cooking, cleaning, and laundry.

Can I let you in on a little secret that someone had told me in the midst of a seemingly uneventful season? There is beauty in the mundane. You show your love to your child in the day in and day out drudgery, in every boo-boo you kiss, and every time you lend your t-shirt to wipe a nose. While you might have a sink full of dishes and a floor you’ve just vacuumed for the third time today, you’re showing your child that they have a safe place to grow. Although mac ’n cheese might be all you can muster for dinner tonight, that warm meal gives your child the energy to reach another milestone. When kept in the right perspective, all of this is beautiful.

The beauty lies within the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. It’s also in the in-between moments—the cuddling, kissing, playing, and nurturing. It’s rarely ever spoken about, which is probably why it feels mundane. We might not be out conquering the world, but I’d like to think we are conquering the world within our four walls, the one God entrusted us with because He knows we are fully capable. And that, my friend, is beautiful too!