24/7 MOMS

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Mom Mission Statement


by: Susan Fox
24/7 MOMS Family Editor

You know how companies and corporations have mission statements? Well, as a mom, do you have a mission statement? Wikipedia defines a mission statement as: “a formal short written statement of the purpose of a company or organization.” The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which the company´s strategies are formulated."

Take a look at some of these famous mission statements used by these companies at one time or another. I think we as moms can relate.

"Our purpose is to ignite a passion for winning, to do the extraordinary, and to capture the customer’s heart and mind." Reebok

"To make people happy.” Walt Disney

"Bringing the best to everyone we touch." The Estee Lauder Company
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“Our purpose is to enrich the lives of people we touch.” Guardian Life Insurance

“At Microsoft, we work to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.”


What is my “Mom Mission?” This is the question I have been pondering. Sometimes I feel like I am aimlessly wandering this mom-life doing laundry, searching for the perfect recipe, trying to remember if my kids are all up to date on their shots and so on and so on. Besides making sure that they grow, are fed, bathed, loved and healthy, what else should I be doing? Am I really doing what counts?

I remember that when I was in college as music major, I had very distinct goals for my life and for each day. I prioritized everything and I knew and conscientiously thought about how every day I needed to do assignments, read, and practice the piano and as a side note to my college life, exercise. I didn’t always do these things daily, but I knew that these were the top priorities. I knew that if I didn’t stay mindful of these things each and every day that it was too easy to get off track, way off track.

So, as a mom, what is important to you? What goals do you have with your children? Is it that they learn to swim? Or that they achieve high standards of academics? There are zillions of ways to spend our mom days. What needs to get done? What has to get done? What do we want to do? Besides just the daily duties that are involved with raising children, I’m asking myself, “What am I trying to accomplish here?” I don’t want to leave this parenting thing to chance and just hope that it turns out well. A major corporation does not run that way. And our family is just like a corporation and we are the CEO’s.

I want my children to succeed in school, to learn to read and study. I want them to learn and understand math so they can handle their finances when they are older. I want to pass on my faith to them. I want them to learn to consider others before themselves. I want to teach them to have a sense of gratitude. I want them to know how to swim and how to make friends. I want them to learn to eat healthy and I want to them to learn to play sports. I want them to know how to play and fight fairly. I want them to learn that saying “sorry” leads to lasting relationships. I want them to learn how to cook for themselves. I want them to know how to do laundry and clean a bathroom. Which makes me ask, should my goals for my son be the same as my daughters? Are there different things that are important to teach boys and girls? I’m getting worried just thinking about all the things that I have to teach them, and I feel like I am running out of time. I think it is time to get a “Mom Mission Statement.”

Maybe it would help me to break my goals down into categories. For me it might look like this.
1. Academic goals
2. Spiritual goals
3. Life skills goals
4. Friendship goals
5. Family fun goals.

What do your mom goals look like? What is your “Mom Mission?” I hope you take a moment to think about it. We as moms have the most important job on earth in teaching, training and loving a human being, but you already knew that!

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Cecilia said...

Fully agree that it is so useful to stop and think about what the direction is of where we are going. For me, it would be more of how my family and I work together as a group, than a Mum Mission - as we all have to give and take in the adventure of being a family. And also how we relate to the outside world. I wrote about it on www.mummymug.com You surely got me thinking ;-)
Cecilia

March 1, 2010 at 5:50 AM  

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