T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Clement Clarke MooreRead
Imagine a world where mothers take as good care of themselves as they do their children and a world where mothers are so supported they're able to do that. That's the world we all need to create because our children, families, and communities are depending on us.
Interpretation
Mothers should prioritize their own well-being to better support their families and communities.
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-care for mothers, suggesting that when mothers take care of themselves, they can better nurture and support their children and families. It calls for a societal shift where mothers receive the support they need to maintain their own health and happiness, which in turn benefits the entire community.
In practice
During a parenting seminar, to highlight the importance of maternal self-care.
T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
My mother groaned, my father wept, into the dangerous world I leapt.
It's sad if people think that's (homemaking) a dull existance, [but] you can't just buy an apartment and furnish it and walk away. It's the flowers you choose, the music you play, the smile you have waiting. I want it to be gay and cheerful, a haven in this troubled world. I don't want my husband and children to come home and find a rattled woman. Our era is already rattled enough, isn't it?
As long as God gives me strength to work and try to make things real for my children, I'm going to work for it - even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.
My children cause me the most exquisite suffering of which I have any experience. It is the suffering of ambivalence: the murderous alternation between bitter resentment and raw-edged nerves, and blissful gratification and tenderness. Sometimes I seem to myself, in my feelings toward these tiny guiltless beings, a monster of selfishness and intolerance.
What could you do better for your children and your children's children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved? Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity.
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