Motherhood Matters

Get started on this challenge from KSL.com.

If you don't want to click, here's the skeleton:

1.  Join us in declaring "I Am a Mother" and share the message with five women in your life.
2.  Recognize there are all kinds of mothers – those that work, those who stay-at-home, single mothers, and women who have never given birth. Be aware of how often you judge other women, and practice recognizing the
worth of all kinds of mothers.
3.  Practice answering the question "What do you do?" so you can confidently say "I am a mother."
4.  Express thanks to your mother. Give her a call or write a letter, expressing gratitude for her love and influence. If she isn’t living, write her a letter in your journal. And if it’s not your own mother, maybe it’s another woman who mothered you.
5.  Make a list of the skills and attributes that you bring to the role of a mother.
6.  Call a friend and recognize her efforts as a mother.
7.  Blog, Facebook, or Tweet what you love and enjoy about motherhood.
8.  Tell your children or those you mother what you love about being a mother.
9.  Ask a more experienced mother about the long-term rewards of motherhood. 
I was particularly impressed with one of their objectives:

We think motherhood matters to our personal well-being and happiness as women.  Talk show hosts and self-help gurus tells us just the opposite.  The recent cover of a popular woman’s magazine shouts that we are entitled to our ideal body, a better job, more energy, more love, and less stress.  While there is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, the pursuit drives us inward.  We end up investing our time and energy in girlfriend getaways, spa days, updating our Facebook profile, and other activities that have become benchmarks, or at least distractions, for a fulfilling life.  Popular culture promises that by recognizing and focusing on our own needs, we will find empowerment.  In reality it creates a culture of comparison, distraction and discontent, none of which lead to empowerment.  The act of mothering … caring for, teaching, and nurturing, has just the opposite effect.  It emboldens us with confidence, contentment and purpose.