Being a mommy is H-A-R-D. Wouldn't you agree? I will go even further as to say that being a stay-at-home mommy is the toughest job of all. Having been a working mommy for a short period of time, I can say from first-hand experience that being an at-home mom is 14,286 times tougher. I don't mean to be insensitive to working moms...but I just know the day-in/day-out routine of loading dishes, changing diapers, filling and re-filling juice cups, planning dinner with a one-year-old strapped to your ankle like a home imprisonment device, cleaning dress-up clothes left behind from my 4 year old's 14th outfit change, refereeing three girls who argue despite the age difference, chauffeuring a 6th grader whose social calendar rivals my own, having your lunch interrupted by a child yelling, "wipe my poo-poo please!", and just settling the baby down for a nap when the phone rings and your eldest tells you she's forgotten her lunch...again--all this can get o-l-d. This is what I look forward to each day. Day after day. 365 days a year. 24 hours a day. So, yes, I contend it's hard and oftentimes unfulfulling and unrewarding. Even for SuperMom.
And I know I'm blessed. I don't mean to complain here, but I want to share (and hopefully get some empathetic feedback) that motherhood is not always glorious, fun, and exciting. Sometimes it's a job that I'm just not motivated to do. So what is the solution? Go back to work? Not if I don't have to! Read other people's blogs about motherhood? Done that....it just makes me feel worse. Hire a nanny? Thought about it, but I'm too much of a control freak.
I just need some help. And as I was catching up on the Bible study that I'm two days behind on, I saw a solution. Here's what I read:
"I will raise my eyes towards the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2
That's it!! Right there in black and white! This is where my motivation will come from. I've read this scripture so many times before, yet today these words fall fresh on me. I know the reality is that God will not magically appear and help me wipe my counter tops, change crib sheets, or de-bone chicken. He will, however, provide the energy and mindset I need to get these things done. Sometimes the only thing we really need is a change of perspective. A different viewpoint. A better attitude. Wow. Talk about sobering.
So there you have it. Even SuperMom's powers can be affected by the daily routine of mommyhood. Kryptonite comes in all forms, I guess. But I've been reminded of the antidote, and I'm well prepared to take on the daily battle yet again!
Faster than a toddler running with a poopie diaper....stronger than the will of a middle child...able to leap piles of laundry in a single bound! It's a cuckoo bird...it's a single-engine plane...IT'S SUPERMOM! (with God as my co-pilot!)
Now go take on the day.
5 comments:
Ang
I would love to get Maddie and Landrie together. They are just alike. I mean everytime you mention her I think of Maddie. She is not even four yet and knows how to roll her eyes. I asked her today where she learned that and Kearby chimed in and said she learned it from you! I love reading your blog!
Jen
You're doing a great job with your girls and it shows, Angela :) They're so happy and neat. I love reading about them :)
LOVE it! and it so 110%true that being a SAHM is harder than any sort of job i have ever had. i told tristan today (who woke up with a 102 fever and grum-py) that i needed jesus to hold me today like i hold him when he is sad. it's the only answer!
Ok, so you didn't offend me AT ALL, but I have to disagree with you (shriek for the grief this might reap!). I have to work. No question. I would love to stay home with my kids! I know it's hard! I have the summers to learn that very well, but my school year is when I literally am on meds and prayer 24/7 to make it work. You see, I have 160 students at school to be responsible for not to mention all of the administrative crap (sorry for the limited vocab. but that is just what it is!). Then, I come home to my two wonderful but usually cranky and fussy kids and am responsible for them until bedtime. You see, I along with other working mothers have to do the same house cleaning, etc. I'd LOVE to have a maid but that ain't happening. My husband doesn't understand the need. I still have to load/unload dishes, cook dinner, wash some clothes so that we all can get to our designated places the next day, kiss boo boos, give baths, brush teeth, read stories, and then try to find time to get on here and read. ;)
I'm just saying that I don't think we can say one is harder than the next. Is that fair to say? There are days when I'm glad to be at work, but most of the time my heart is breaking to be at home, HOME, with my kiddos.
There are just different consequences to each job, I guess. For example, my house is always in disarray. ALWAYS. I hate it! It makes me crazy! But there aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done.
Wow, cheap therapy, I must say! So, there is my debated response. :)
Oh, and I'm finally getting to read all of your wonderful writing. Seriously, turn these into a book and make a profit! Love ya-
Jen Strib-Ross
Oh, and just last week alone I went to school with paper dolls stickers on my butt from the car and spilled sippy cup nastiness on my shirt (2 different days). I'm not the most glamourous, let me tell you.
jen strib-ross
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