Thoughts on Motherhood

Mother's Day 2007

Being a mom is definitely my greatest joy and greatest challenge. I constantly worry if I am doing a good enough job. Am I too strict or too lenient? Am I helping my children to develop their talents or am I over scheduling them? Should I tell them what to do or have them figure it out on their own? Do I do enough or too much for them? Do they know how much I love them? Am I enjoying them enough when they are still little? I feel so inadequate at times. This job is too important to do it wrong! I have tried to let my kids know that I am aware of my imperfections and I am simply doing the best I can. I feel so blessed to be a mother. I am grateful the Lord gave me the opportunity to be a mother to the five spirits that were sent to me and Lloyd. The Lord must have had some faith in me, so I'll trust in that faith. I recently saw a scrapbook page about "50 Reasons I Love Being a Girl." Well, I have plans to do a similar one with motherhood. My journaling for this page appears below.

50 Things I Love About Being a Mother

♥I have an excuse to eat PB&J sandwiches. ♥ I get to plan fun birthday parties. ♥I have the joy of seeing my husband be a father. ♥I experienced the miracle of giving birth. ♥It helps me to appreciate all my mom did for me. ♥Christmas morning wouldn’t be the same. ♥I always have someone to go out to ice cream with. ♥I have someone to buy cute outfits for. ♥I have plenty of scrapbook pages to do. ♥I get to see my daughter’s dance recitals. ♥I can enjoy again the movies I loved as a child (i.e. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, and Midnight Madness) ♥I always get something special on Mother’s Day. ♥I’ll get to be a grandma. ♥ I can kiss my baby’s feet or neck whenever I want. ♥There’s always something to laugh at. ♥ I get to see my children learn how to read. ♥The tooth fairy visits our house. ♥I got to name my children. ♥I always have someone to say “I love you” to. ♥Swim lessons are part of my summer routine. ♥ I have learned to love the Disney channel. ♥ I get to wrap my kids in a towel after they take a bath. ♥Disneyland vacations are the best. ♥I’ve memorized the words to Goodnight Moon. ♥I get to experience the excitement of going back to school. ♥I’ve always got crayons in the house. ♥I have someone to bake cookies for. ♥I get lots of hugs. ♥I can give one of the kids the chore of unloading the dishwasher. ♥My Saturdays are never dull during soccer season. ♥I am constantly being humbled. ♥I get to smell baby shampoo. ♥I get to buy some pretty exciting toys. ♥I am never lonely. ♥I always have someone to play a game with. ♥I get to be a Girl Scout leader. ♥I’ve learned to be a bit more patient. ♥Family Home Evening is always an adventure. ♥I see a lot of smiles. ♥I still sing Primary songs. ♥I get to be called “Mommy.” ♥I always have a drawing or craft project to hang up. ♥I don’t have to work outside of the home. ♥I get to relearn the Articles of Faith. ♥I have someone to go to the park with. ♥I can share my thoughts on motherhood with other moms. ♥Usually one of my kids will get me a drink of water if I ask nicely. ♥I have some cute photos to put up around the house. ♥I can raid my kids’ Halloween candy. ♥I have an amazing husband and five beautiful spirits I get to spend eternity with.