Happy (Late) Mother’s Day
Hello stay-at-home Mom. Yes, you. I see you there. I know you woke up this morning to the insistent alarm of a hungry baby. And that was after nursing a couple of other times in the night. Or maybe you decided to face the day a little sooner. Grab a few moments to read your Bible, pray, perhaps even make the bed. Two minutes after you settle in with a cup of hot tea and the Psalms, the baby wakes—early. Babies always know when mom's up. It's a scientifically proven fact.
The toddler whines for breakfast and the four year old insists she can pour her own milk. You sigh a little in your tiredness, but give your kiddos a big smile anyway as you juggle the infant and steady the milk carton. That's what moms do.
It's not a job for the faint of heart. It takes gumption and gum removal skills. It stretches your faith, your finances, your sanity, and your sock seeking abilities. But what you are doing matters for eternity.
Naptime: You are almost giddy with the possibilities.
After breakfast comes the familiar routine of reading books and building duplo castles and rolling play-doh balls in chubby palms. At the same time you continue switching laundry, picking up stray toys, and rescuing the stuffed dinosaur the two year old threw in the toilet. In the back of your mind the "What can I make for dinner?" query taunts you. Finally exuberance explodes and children are bouncing off the walls so you wisely discern that it's time to plant bottoms in a stroller and take to the streets. A nice walk, fresh air, and then a bubble chasing romp in the yard help accommodate the never ending energy of your offspring.
Time to nurse again which allows an opportunity to sit for a few moments before the lunch crunch. Soon you fill bellies with peanut butter and jelly then wipe hands and faces and countertops in the familiar post meal production. One final book and snuggle lead to the glorious intersection of child sleep and mom freedom--otherwise known as the nap. You are almost giddy with the possibilities. You have a long list of things that need to be done. You might indulge in an actual shower and change out of your spit-up saturated tee shirt. But instead you lay across the bed (just for a moment) and wake to the indignant cry of your sweet, pint sized bottomless pit.
You keep doing the next thing anyway, with as much finesse as you can muster. Because that's what moms do.
There are two absolutes in every stay-at-home mother's life. The first I have mentioned. Baby always wakes early in direct proportion to mom's attempt to accomplish something in the morning. And the second is this: supper prep time is fuss fest time for infants and toddlers. You are fully aware of this phenomena since you live it every day, but still you valiantly attempt to prepare the evening meal with a squirming, squalling infant in one arm and a tenacious two year old tattooed to your shin. The four year old oozes eagerness to help, so you hand her the butter knife and a handful of strawberries to top. You feel like you are headed straight for the funny farm, but you keep doing the next thing anyway, with as much finesse as you can muster. Because that's what moms do.
Husband arrives home a little late. That works out great since supper is late too. By the time you serve the kids—including the exact amount of required ketchup—your meal is cold. But everyone in your sweet little universe is around that table and all is well with the world.
Dad romps with the rambunctious while you reinstate order in the kitchen. Maybe all of you take a walk or play a game. You try to drown out the demands of the duties around you in favor of some time all together, catching up with your husband in snatches of conversation over the kids' heads. Eventually your small balls of energy are all tucked snugly in bed and blissfully asleep. You grab that shower and fall into bed yourself, knowing that tomorrow you will start all over again. Because that's what moms do.
It is joyful, exhausting, sacred work. And you are doing it well.
You adore your children. You signed up for this job and you love it. But at the same time you feel yourself wilting under the weight of weariness, unfinished business, and the repetitive monotony that is life with littles.
I've been there. I'm the mom who had five children aged five and under. I've known the tiredness. The frustration. The superhuman energy it takes to simultaneously corral and encourage the unending curiosity of childhood. It's not a job for the faint of heart. It takes gumption and gum removal skills. It stretches your faith, your finances, your sanity, and your sock seeking abilities. But what you are doing matters for eternity.
You know the truth. You will never catch up. Your house won't be spotless. The paperwork piles continue to accumulate and so does the laundry. You won't have all the answers or know the best way to referee the toy tussle. But with God's strength, you persevere. You do it all again once more. And you turn to Him in faith for the wisdom to build and train and offer grace to the beautiful lives He has entrusted to you. It is joyful, exhausting, sacred work. And you are doing it well. Bravo Mama.
I see you there. But more importantly, Jesus sees you. And He is pleased with your never-ending labor of love.
Happy (late) Mother's Day. You are always worth celebrating. :)
