I came across this article and knew instantly that I needed to share it with my loyal readers and fellow mothers. We’ve all had those days when we wonder if we’re going to make it to bedtime, let alone until our children are grown. Those days when nothing seems to go right and everything seems to be going wrong. Those days when you could have sworn that you had been teaching your children how to be kind and how to get along with others but all the seem to do is yell, and fight, and hurt each other any way they can. And then that one little moment when you hear those precious words that remind you of why you wanted to be a mother in the first place. You hear, “Mommy, I love you!” And your heart melts all over again. Here is one mom’s story:
“I saw her at the mall the other day. You know…the woman with perfectly coiffed hair, a size four waist, and clothes with labels that do not come from Target, Wal Mart or TJ Maxx. I couldn’t stop myself from staring as she browsed the housewares department with her kiddos all in a row. If I was a betting woman, I would say her nails had recently been manicured, her hair freshly blown-out and that her handbag cost more than we spend on groceries in a month (and with a family of six, that says something.) I allowed myself to get lost in the moment and travel to the land of “if only.” If only I made it a priority to get my hair done every month… If only I spent money on my clothes instead of on things for the house…If only I sucked it up and wore what looked great instead of what is most comfortable and most stain resistant…
I stood completely still, watching, for what seemed like hours. I couldn’t stop looking at her beautiful skin, perfect makeup, and fit body. She couldn’t be much younger than me, I mused. She had three kids trailing along behind her-behaving wonderfully, I might add-and yet she had it all together.
I had a silent debate with myself as I gawked at her. I bantered with my alter ego back and forth about what she was like; snobby, nice, shy, outgoing, caring, aloof. I made terrific assumptions about what her husband did for a living, what her house looked like, and in which neighborhood she lived. I imagined when she left she would drive off in a Mercedes or an Escalade. I watched her children follow her quietly; never once pinching, hitting or whining.
It was utterly fascinating.
The spell was broken when my daughter threw a hay-maker at my son and a full-blown wrestling match ensued. I pulled my gaze away to referee my children, administer the necessary threats to ensure good behavior (no candy at checkout and no Sprout television when we get home) and offer a hasty glance in the mirror at my stay-at-home mom’s uniform of knit pants, long-sleeved t-shirt, ponytail, and naked face. By the time I looked back in Super Mom’s direction, she was gone.
I couldn’t get her off my mind as I finished my shopping, corralled my children and headed for our minivan. I couldn’t help but wonder where she was headed; lunch with the girls, to the club for some tennis, or out to dinner with her husband while the kids stayed with a sitter-all things that rarely, if ever, happen in my day-to-day world.
As I was buckling what felt like a hundred seat belts and laying the ground rules for the drive home (sit quietly in your seat and keep your hands to yourselves), my son interrupted my spiel by calling out, “Mommy!” Still lost in my self-deprecating thoughts brought about by a woman whom I didn’t know, had never met and probably never would, I absentmindedly answered. “Yes?”
“I love you.”
And there it was: the only reassurance I needed that while I may not wear expensive clothes in single digit sizes, carry a bag that costs the same as our monthly mortgage, or live in a house with enough bathrooms for all of us to have our own, I am living the dream. My dream.
I have four beautiful, healthy children who think the sun rises and sets by me, a husband who works hard to provide for our family so that I can stay home with our babies, and peanut butter flavored kisses any time I want. What could be better than that?
Most days, I realize the awesome life I lead lovin’ on my family, working at my church, picking up toys, changing diapers, refereeing fights, cooking seventeen meals a day, and kissing away boo-boos! In my “free” time I blog about the craziness of this thing I call my life at http://www.mandypmommyof4.blogspot.com .”
