The work of being a mom

You know how it goes.
Sometime in the middle of the week (or towards the end?) your husband says something like "so, what do you want for Mother's Day?"
The moment of truth.
Should you say something noble like- a day with you and the kids is all I want!
Or perhaps something closer to the truth- an uninterrupted shower, meals planned and prepared for me, and maybe a quiet afternoon of solitude?
Is one of the answers right and one wrong?
Ah the guilt!

I opted for honesty and said shower, meals and solitude sound perfect! And if you must, go ahead and get the obligatory hanging basket of flowers.
What I didn't really think of was the little ears that were tuned into the conversation until my oldest piped in and suggested paintball tag as an option for the day (sounds like JUST the thing on Mother's Day, kiddo)

So did he hear all that I was saying in that exhausted voice of mine?
My demeanor definitely suggested some sort of eagerness for a break.
Break from what?
Does he (do they) know that at times being their mom is work?
Should they know that?
Did I know that at their age?
Is this 20 Questions?








There was a little check in my spirit, a conviction of sorts.
In this day of openness, honesty and social media to broadcast everything, my frustrations and parenting difficulties are no longer private.
In an attempt to NOT paint and UNrealistic picture of motherhood I have opted for transparency with friends, other moms.
It was meant as a relating point, a normalizing conversation that sounds something like this:

Want to know the truth? Here's the truth: this week has held hour-long stand-offs with over-tired, belligerent children, trips to the dr. and sleepless nights with a sick kid, sports in the rain, field trips, meals that haven't been liked or appreciated, countless muddy feet through the house and mountains of laundry.

I bet your week of mothering was similarly exhausting.

And that our moms, their moms, and their mom's moms all experienced this same daily struggle between laundry and loving, exhaustion and encouragement, clean-up and cuddles.

Is mothering work?

Yes.

Is work bad?

NO!

And there's the rub...I have at times made the agreement that work is to be avoided or at the very least complained about.

Not ALL work, just the kind you don't like.

So what am I teaching my kids about being a mom, about work that is not enjoyable.

What am I inserting into their sweet little hearts by complaining about the amount of work they are?

At the end of the day, I love this job called mothering.

I love the dirty part, the exhausting part, the beautiful and life-giving part (and the absolute perfection that is a sleeping child).

I'm feeling the need to be thrifty with my complaints while remaining real for a couple reasons:

Complaining makes contentment hard to attain AND

My kids don't need to know the nitty gritty until they're older and experience parenting for themselves. ;)

Rest assured the day will come that they come back and say "wow, you worked really hard for us, thank you, Mom."

Mom, (Kerri), you worked really hard for us, THANK YOU! I love you...here's the mushy post I said I wasn't going to do. :)

Her children arise and call her blessed...Prov. 31:28a

Happy Mother's Day all you beautiful, hard-working women.

Enjoy the gifts your kiddos think you'll love, the meals you may be making for YOUR mom and hopefully a trip to the bathroom without an audience!