Dear Mom Who Writes


Dear Mom Who Writes, by Amanda Bacon

Dear Mom Who Writes,

I started writing on my first blog in 2006 when my third child was two years old. It was my creative outlet and my version of “digital scrapbooking,” because at the time, scrapbooking was at the height of popularity, but I didn’t have the time or the desire for it. 

Thirteen years ago, social media was not yet a thing, so I posted photos and stories about our growing family on the blog to keep far-away family members in the loop. Plus, it was just really fun. 

Writing those short glimpses into everyday life turned into more as I learned that writing from my heart and encouraging other women was a very real passion … and dare I say a gifting of mine? Why is it so difficult at times for us to name and acknowledge our giftings?

You, dear writer, have a gift for writing. Say it aloud with me, “I have a gift for writing.”

Over the next several years, I transitioned from writing life updates to 100% devotional, faith-based essay pieces. This type of writing made me come alive. It was as if something that had been lying dormant had now erupted in the best possible way. 

At the time, I was the mom of three tiny kids, which would turn into a total of eight children over the course of just a few more years. I mean, WHAT? Life had changed drastically — but the one thing I held onto during those chaotic years of having children everywhere, and three in diapers, was my writing. 

It never looked like set writing times or even a peaceful setting in which to write. What it often looked like was me plopped on the couch once the kids were in bed. It looked like tapping away at the keys until midnight, then waking up in a few short hours to do the day all over again. It sometimes looked like working on a blog post or article four nights in a row just to complete it. 

It never looked like me at a writing desk with perfect peace and calm. Never.

My kids are now ages 7-18, so life looks much different. Gone are the days of diapers and midnight writing. I now have a little nook in the corner of my bedroom with a small desk and shelves. But I still have to fight for my writing. I still have a household of extremely busy and needy kids, and I have a husband and a job too. But I no longer have little ones who hang off my legs and beg for food, attention and to be picked up. Oh goodness, they were cute. 

When I stop and think back, I’d rather pay attention to my kids when they need me than pay attention to my writing any old day. But it doesn’t quite play out like that in real life. 

We sigh at all the interruptions.
We wish for some quiet to think and process.
We ache that we can’t do what we want, when we want.

 

But such is life. It’s a vibrant mix of the glorious and the not yets. Will we accept our current season of mothering, whatever it looks like? Will we be good stewards of both our writing and our mothering? 

Because both need our attention. We get to decide how and what that looks like. You are a gifted writer and a beloved mother. How will you cherish and thrive in both important roles?

It won’t be this way forever. You won’t always have an audience when you use the restroom and there won’t always be whining and crying when you try to have a coherent thought. Your time for writing will expand as the years go by and your children will be less apt to beg for every second of your time. But it’s also good and okay to set aside some time during these extra busy years to nurture your other important role: writer.  

 

Keep Writing, Mama,

From a Mom Who’s Been There

 

Amanda Bacon lives in North Carolina with her husband, Jeremy, and their eight children. She works for Proverbs 31 Ministries and loves encouraging women with biblical truth and authenticity. She’s the co-author of the newly released book, Shiny Things: Mothering on Purpose in a World of Distractions. She also co-hosts All the Mom Things Podcast. When she isn’t driving carpool or feeding people, you can find her writing, reading or wandering outdoors. Connect with Amanda on Instagram @amanda_bacon_ and read what she writes at amandabacon.com and themasterpiecemom.com.

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Amanda Bacon lives in North Carolina with her husband, Jeremy, and their eight children. She grew up in Alaska, and now lives down South where she works for Proverbs 31 Ministries and loves encouraging women with biblical truth and authenticity. When she isn't driving carpool or feeding people, you can find her writing, reading, or wandering outdoors. Connect with Amanda on Instagram @amanda_bacon_ and check out her brand-new book, Shiny Things: Mothering on Purpose in a World of Distractions.

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Comments

  1. Thank you so much Amanda! I needed this today!

  2. Reading this after a night when I wrote in the car waiting outside of one child’s piano lesson while the other completed homework in the backseat. Thanks for the reminder that “balance” isn’t really balanced and that we have to carve out time when we can. Excellent piece of encouragement!

  3. Brilliant! Thanks – I needed this. I have three toddlers aged 4, 2 and 1. And life is hectic. I love to write but don’t get to do it nearly as much as I would like to.

    Thanks for the encouragement!

    Love, a fellow Mama
    xxx

  4. OH I love this, I might be a little bit of a slacker because I seem to struggle and I only have two children. The business of life is always pulling at you and I seem to fill my schedule with good things, but not always the best things. I struggle to find the balance and to make time for my writing. Always feeling guilty, and like I’m dropping the ball somewhere. I’m learning that there will never be enough time or the perfect time I must just write. My church offers a 9 month writing program that I’m currently in and it has really forced me to realize there were always be things pulling at me and I must make time to write. This class and the deadlines have been great a forcing this. Thank you for these words of encouragement

  5. This was timely. Thank you for a relevant message.