Where do you have doubts?

Because we all have them…

As a parent, you can’t help but doubt at times is this the best choice for my child? Further, is the best right now the same as the best long term?

And for me, where adoption and doubt truly intersect is not only “am I doing my best?” but further “is my best good enough?”

Being mother to my daughters is the ultimate privilege in life, but there’s no denying the immense weight of that privilege.

I’ve been entrusted with children born to someone else. My life’s purpose is not only to raise them and love them beyond measure, but also to keep them safe, teach them, challenge them, encourage them, listen to them, inspire them etc…

It is in the magnitude of that responsibility where doubt lives. Because, am I the best parent for my babies?… Doubt. Could someone else be doing this better than me?…Doubt.

These thoughts of self-doubt can be be paralyzing if left to fester. They can become an obstacle to being the mother I want and need to be.

But doubt is not the issue. Everyone has doubts. It’s what you do with it that counts. And I choose to welcome doubt, instead of push it aside. I choose acknowledge it, because it’s here for a reason.

Maybe it’s a signal to increase self-awareness or to educate myself more.
Maybe there’s a need to change course.
Or maybe it’s simply an opportunity to admit mistakes and practice self-forgiveness.

So for whatever the reason, thank you doubt. For making me a better Mother.

♥️ Stephanie

This blog post was written in response to the instagram photo-a-day prompt by Ashley Mitchell for Adoption Awareness Month 2019.