Being Their Mom May 9, 2015

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and I’m taking the time to reflect on how lucky I am to be Mason’s and Cooper’s mom.

No matter how hard it is to be a mom sometimes, there is way more joy that just cancels out all the challenging times.  Here are some examples…

Challenge:  Dirty clothes and wet towels left on the floors of their bedroom, our bedroom and the bathroom.

Joy:  Hearing them sing and laugh together as they get cleaned up and ready for school.

Challenge: Whiny comments about some meal I’ve cooked that they don’t like.

Joy:  Cheers and hugs when I cook their favorite meals.

Challenge:  Listening to them fight with each other.

Joy:  Knowing they will be there for each other when needed.

Challenge:  Having to fix the second broken window thanks to errant lacrosse and soccer balls.

Joy:  The hugs and “I’m sorry, Mommy.” that come after.

I could go on and on.  On many days, I’d have more challenges than joys.  But that’s the thing about kids.  There might be one tiny joy that day, and it will wipe out all the challenges in one fell swoop.  Just an “I love you.”  Or “You’re the best, Mom.” Or a sweet cuddly hug at bedtime.  Those small moments are everything to me.

I have friends that are pregnant now, and they’ve asked if I got sick during pregnancy or how miserable I was or what it was like to have a newborn.  I KNOW there were tough times, and I KNOW I felt crummy.  But honestly, I can’t remember them.  Because no matter how much pain I went through or how tough it was being sleep-deprived and anti-social and covered in spit-up, I just remember my sweet babies.  I remember getting to feel them kick in my belly for the first time or what it was like to hold them in my arms for the first time.  I remember when we got that first smile and how amazing you feel seeing that even though you know it was just from gas.  I remember holding their tiny hands in mine as they learned to walk.  I remember the smiles on their faces after their first day of kindergarten and how relieved I was to see them.  I remember the pride I felt as they got up on stage for the first time or out on a lacrosse field for the first game.  These are all the things that just wipe away the challenges.

I’m still learning as a mom.  There are new challenges daily, and there always will be.  I’ll make mistakes.  I’ll fail at things.  But I know I’ll always have Mason and Cooper there to remind me that I’m still a good mom and that they love me.  They are incredible at that.  The amount of love they share with me is overwhelming.  They love from the tips of their hair to the tips of the toes.

While this is Mother’s Day weekend, and children are supposed to show their gratitude for their moms…  In reality, I should be showing them my gratitude for letting me be their mom and accepting me for who I am, mistakes and all.  Thank you, Mason and Cooper, for loving me as much as you do and for giving me so many chances to be the best mom I can be.

A Mother’s Day post would not be complete without mentioning my own mom.  My support system, my walking partner, my friend…  My mom.  Love you!  Thank you for being my mom.