Latter-day Saint Life

The Sabbath Was Made for Mom, Not Mom for the Sabbath: 5 Ways to Create a Wonderful Sabbath for Moms

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MR says: Motherhood, it's a full-time job and it can be exhausting. But here are a few little things that family members can do to help give their mothers a day of rest too.

Recently at church, we sat in front of one of the coolest families in our ward. You could tell that their kids were having one of those days. The mom seemed to be dealing with the brunt of the battle, which is not an uncommon sight in a Sunday sacrament meeting. About 15 minutes later, that same mom came walking toward me in the hall, trying to hold the hand of an inconsolable toddler. As we passed each other in the hall, she looked at me with a face of exhaustion and quietly said, “I need a day off!” It made me think for a second. Do moms get a Sabbath day? Do they get a day of rest? Or a day to feel the Spirit? For many moms the answer would be an unequivocal NO!

We've heard a lot of talk about the Sabbath day recently—and for good reason. But I wonder if I've been overlooking one of the most important things that I can do on the Sabbath—namely, help my wife actually have a Sabbath day. President Nelson recently said that he believes that God wants “us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal.” . . .

my wife and I were watching our kids swim on Saturday and it seemed like a good time to ask her how I could help make the Sabbath day a delight for her. I said to her, sort of timidly, “Hey hun, if you could describe the ideal Sabbath day to me, what would it be?” She didn't even have to think about it. Bam. One thing after another. It took her about 1.5 seconds to rattle off a list of things. She was excited just at the thought of me asking her this sort of question. I asked her to slow down while I grabbed my phone to start typing some notes.

“If I could have my wish for a perfect Sabbath day,” she continued, “it would contain these things” (in no particular order):

1. A Good Meal

Yes, moms like to eat on Sunday too. But maybe, just maybe, they don't want to cook that meal. Some guys either like to cook or possess infinite amounts of emotional intelligence and have learned that Mom probably already cooked six or more meals this week. (You'll see these special men riding chariots into heaven with Elijah at their side.) But seriously, even if you stink at cooking, just the attempt to make a meal and serve it to your wife and family will rest her tired feet and lift her spirit. Sunday is a great day to make a meal for a tired mom. When I perform gestures like this, it’s as if a visible light glows from within her. Spiritual and physical renewal is taking place.

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