Motherhood just got easier.

I was looking back through some old writings and found this one.  I recorded this a year ago today.  It was a good reminder to chill out – and more importantly, remember to be grateful. 

As written August 5, 2007:

I won’t argue that being a mother is one of the toughest jobs in the world.  My days are filled with settling disputes between brother and sister, kissing boo-boos, reading books (and making sure I’m in character when doing so), and meeting my children’s basic daily needs.  All the while, it is my responsibility to make sure they learn the importance of kindness, acceptance of others, and why God should be at the very core of who they are as human beings.  Tough at times?  Yes.  Time-consuming?  Of course.  Nonetheless, such responsibilities could be greater.

On a usual play day at our neighborhood mall playground, I saw another mom who looked a lot like me….not in a physical sense, but just your usual run of the mill thirty-something mom.  While I watched my children climb to the top of the big baseball and jump off like super-hero wannabes, this mom participated in the play with her special needs daughter.  I’m not certain of the exact challenges that this little girl faces daily, but I do know that she could not talk or walk on her on.  So, I watched as this mother would pick up her little girl and hold her while she went down the slide that my children can climb up on their own (and usually the wrong way).  She continued to bounce her daughter into the air so she could experience the laws of nature that my children can experience all by themselves.  This mother made sure that her daughter had the best day she could possibly have.  The toughest part of my day was chasing after my two-year old who ran out of the Subway in the food court while I was paying for our food. 

One day my children will grow up and be on their own.  They will come and visit me and call me on Mother’s Day.  I will enjoy the luxuries of travel and whatever it is you do when your children leave home.  This mother will be caring for her daughter for the rest of her days on earth.  These are the mothers who deserve the standing o’s and hand claps.  So, the next time I’m wiping up the milk that my little girl intentionally poured on the floor, I will remember, “This is easy.” 

Let me leave you with this excerpt from “If I Had My Child To Raise All Over Again” by Diane Loomans:

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I’d finger-paint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.

I’d stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I’d do more hugging and less tugging.

I hope I will remember that’s the easy stuff.