Being a Mom

I've been thinking a lot lately about being a mom. Life with children is a crazy mess of stress, worry and immeasurable joy, and sometimes it's overwhelming. One day, I'm super mom, getting three hours of sleep and still managing to keep up with my one and two year olds, put together a beautiful home cooked meal, and function into the wee hours of the night when my one year old won't sleep. Other days, I'm irritable and frustrated, and feel like it's so hard to even climb out of bed, and I lose my temper and feel like I'm doing it all wrong. My conversations are mostly one-sided and involve poop, cheese and the myriad of shows on Disney Junior; and 'me time' is a thing of the past.

So what is 'being a mom'? What does it mean, and am I doing it right? I don't think there's any one, perfect answer to this question, and there is certainly no simple answer. So here's what I think:

Being a mom is hugs and snuggles. It's tantrums and discipline. It's holding a sick child at 3 a.m. It's fighting through the exhaustion and trying to cherish every moment when you really just want to survive the day. It's pat-a-cake and the itsy, bitsy spider. It's scrapes and bruises. It's giggles and wide-eyed wonder. It's first steps and first words. It's staying up all night with your one year old who apparently only needs two hours of sleep. It's rocking your two and a half year old to sleep, teary eyed because you thought you would never get to rock him to sleep again. It's the unspeakable joy of watching your children play together - a dirty-faced, wild-haired mess of laughter. It's worry; and it's faith. It's sacrifice and love. It's learning to adjust to the stress and responsibility of caring for a little life (or two). It's learning how to trust God in a whole new way. It's bittersweet, and it's beautiful.

It's amazing, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

In the end, what's important is that I love them, and I teach them to love God. Will I fail? At times. After all, I'm human. But there's grace. And with God's help, I'll be the best mom I can be.

3 John 4(NKJV)4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth