Mom and kid being joyful together

11 Most Beautiful Joys of Being a Mom

When people think of motherhood, far too many people think of the word ‘hard,’ but it doesn’t HAVE to be that way.

There are a lot of joys of being a mom, and we moms need reminders of that! (ESPECIALLY on those crazy days when stuff just HAPPENS—like poop finger-paint, 3 baths, burnt dinner, etc. . . . you know what I mean).

If you want scientific proof that we moms need to remember the real joys of motherhood, check out this article from Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine about how gratitude changes your brain.

So without further ado, here’s this list for you moms who need a reminder about why you love being a mom, and also for those people who are wondering why being a mother is so special. So, sit back and enjoy my personal compilation of 11 different joys of being a mom AND my answer to the question “What is the most rewarding thing about being a mom?” Enjoy!

The 11 Best Joys of Being a Mom (To Remind Yourself Why Being a Mother is So Special)


Joy #1: You Always Have a Buddy

I can’t tell you how fun it is to go everywhere with a little one (or little ones) who just wants to hang out with me. That’s right—ME.

61% of Americans today are feeling lonely. That’s not to say that none of those surveyed are young moms, but the fact of the matter is that having a child can help curb some of that. I remember my husband saying to me one day “Just let her be your best friend” (as in our kid).

When I let that happen, I realized how FUN it is to always have a little buddy. One of the joys of being a mom is, in fact, just getting to hang out with your kid.

Mom playing with child with text below saying "11 Joys of motherhood for hard days."

Joy #2: Lots of Giggles

Let’s face it: one of the greatest joys of being a mom is getting to see what funny little thing your child comes up with next. I remember when my little Gem started fake wheezing and scaring me to death, but she just thought it was the funniest little sound to make when she was excited.

Even though the hilarity can be a mess (a really big mess), life is just always filled with laughter and fun with kids. They help you not to take yourself so seriously, and you learn to giggle about the stupidest things.

It makes life way more interesting.

Joy #3: You Can Let Out Your Inner Child

Remember how you grew out of fort-building faster than you really wanted to, but you stopped doing it because you were scared that your friends would make fun of you?

One of the joys of being a mom is that you get to go back and just freely do those childish things again with your kids—and no one can give it a second thought because you’re literally just being a good mom.

I know it might sound dumb, but it can be seriously freeing.

Joy #4: You Get to Experience Beautiful Little Moments

My Grandmother told me when I was writing this article that one of the greatest joys of her motherhood was getting to savor the simple moments of backyard picnics, peanut butter sandwiches, and apple slices.

I’ve realized that too. Moments when I hold Gem on my lap, and moments when I chase her around the living room as she giggles uncontrollably—those moments are irreplaceable. I’ve learned that many of my greatest joys of being a mom are simply the beautiful little seconds that I can savor and be grateful for, even when they are past.

"11 Beautiful Joys of Motherhood You Needed to Hear Today" above iimage of baby's hand in mom's hand.

Joy #5: You Learn Principles that Strengthen Other Relationships

Strengthening your relationship with a baby or child is a lot of work, but the work and the skills necessary also help you strengthen other relationships.

For example, learning about how to put time into loving my baby helped me put more time into making my husband feel loved.

These lessons on strengthening and maintaining relationships have honestly brought me more joy than years of relationship lessons probably could have.

Joy #6: You Become More Organized

Being a mom was not a magic wand that changed my organization skills overnight. However, a great joy of mothering for me has been finally feeling motivated enough (by a drive to create a good environment for my little one) to organize myself better.

It’s true that some of the learning comes by way of a trial by fire. Those long nights and days with a newborn aren’t easy; and don’t get me started on when they can crawl and eat every little thing that you thought wasn’t on your floor.

But absolutely having to become organized helps you to improve; and with that improvement comes great satisfaction.

Joy #7: You Develop Greater Seflessness

Being a mother demands selflessness of you, and it is hard. But it also teaches you how to be selfless.

Being a mom doesn’t come effortlessly, so you constantly must work on feeling love for and caring for your child.

One of the greatest joys of being a mom (in my opinion), however, has been to watch myself figure out how to care more for others more because I’ve worked and worked at loving and caring for my own child.

Mom touching her nose to her baby's nose wihile grinning with text above saying "11 Joys of being a Mom today"

Joy #8: You Become More Emotionally Intelligent

This goes along with joy #7, but it is slightly different. Similar to how working at loving baby and kids helps you in turn to love others more in general, working at reading your kids and recognizing their emotions helps you to do so with other people in turn.

Seriously.

Haven’t you ever noticed how wise old moms seem to be able to look into your soul? They’ve practiced doing it with their kids over the years, and you can come to do it to. Being able to understand others better—and also being able to know how to respond (from practice)—is one of the privileges and joys of being a mom.

Joy #9: You Get to Build Something Permanent

Another one of the greatest joys of being a mom is simply that you get to build something that lasts.

There is nothing more satisfying (or terrifying) than knowing that what you are doing is going to change a life. Or lives. But while it is scary, you can know that it is a special work—and indeed a needed one.

Your hard work is going to affect people for generations to come, which is pretty cool.

Joy #10: You Gain Great Confidence

I’m sure that by now you’ve heard the phrase “Fake it ‘til you make it.”

In a lot of ways, that’s what motherhood is.

However, there is nothing like navigating the complete craziness of being a mother to teach you how to have self-confidence. When YOU are the one who has to solve all of the problems, you start to realize how capable you are, and that unlocks a lot of power—power to do great things.

Mom hugging daughter beneath text "10 beautiful joys of being a mom."

Joy #11: You Come Closer to a Higher Power

Whether you call it instincts or God, there is something special that comes out in mothering. Some people call it intuition too; but whatever you name it there seems to be a definitive guiding voice deep inside as a new mom figures out how to care for her little one.

To me, that has been another of the greatest joys of being a mom. I have found greater peace with myself and with others as I have payed attention to that little voice inside of me.

Final Question: What is the MOST Rewarding Thing About Being a Mother?

This question is difficult to answer, in part because I don’t want to answer wrong and make people think that parenting isn’t special. Because it is, even though it can be monotonous, frustrating, or exhausting at times.

People say, insincerely, that satisfaction comes from parenting. But I think it’s more than that. I think that the greatest reward and joy of motherhood (and parenting) comes down to this:

Nothing else will ever help you to grow the way that being a mother does, and nothing else will ever compare to the beautiful process of growing with your child.

The most rewarding thing about being a mother is that you get to experience the refining process of growth yourself, and you also get to see your child progress. And one day, you will get to look back and see how far you both have come, and you will get to be grateful.

There is nothing to replace that experience in life. It is one of life’s greatest treasures, and one of life’s best kept secrets. Parenting is a journey that you and your child are on together, and that path is a wonderful path to take, even with all of its twists and turns.

It is the best joy EVER of being a mom.

Concluding Thoughts: Enjoy the Joys of Being a Mom

Being a mom is incredibly hard. But I personally believe that joy only comes through great hardship (otherwise you can’t tell it’s joy—you need the contrast). So even though building a family is one of the hardest things you will ever do, that hardness enables the joy to happen.

So sit back and enjoy the joy. And if you need some more encouragement, check out my article with 37 Inspiring Quotes for Struggling Moms.

What are some of the greatest joys of being a mom that you would add to this list? I would LOVE it if you shared with me down below.

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