A Mother's Job Well Done

I just think this is an oustanding message and wanted to share it here. I hope it encourages you and you can pass it on to encourage others.
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Standing in the kitchen with my gown still on and my hair jostled from the night before, I manage to open one eye to see what I'm doing. I pour the water into the coffee pot and let out a big yawn. My youngest boy who enjoys the early morning hours comes happily skipping into the kitchen. "Mom," he says, "I'm starving!" "Will you cook me some eggs and bacon?" I hear what he says but I'm thinking, "Why not something simple?" I pull out the cereal boxes and oatmeal instead. My youngest is also the most persistent, "Mom pleeaaasee! I want eggs really bad!!" Two more young hungry birds have just arrived, they sit down at the breakfast table and chirp in with the melody but also add "some toast and jelly would be good too." I'm still thinking of that nice warm bed that I had to leave only a moment ago. I put up the cereal boxes and drag out the skillet. I'm really not in the mood to have to clean the entire kitchen, but here I go. ……again.

Mothers have a great responsible in raising their children. But somehow we forget the joys of motherhood. It seems we get caught up in the pressures that society throws our way. I believe whole-heartedly that this issue has stolen the joy of child rearing from many women. They are always running here and there trying to hold a job, be a sports mom and have supper on the table by 6:00 o'clock. House cleaning chores are hanging over their head, and they see no end in sight. Wondering whether or not they are failing as a parent has entered their mind a time or two. If they could just make it through the next few years, the kids will be grown and everything will be fine. Not true.

Our society teaches that in order for us to be a successful parent, we must supply our children with the finer things in life and open their world up to every social and physical activity that comes along. For example, little Junior has his own room where he keeps his Nintendo DS, Gamecube, Xbox, Ipod, and MP3 player. He has his very own 19" flat screen TV, with cable access, a DVD player and a Dell computer to chat with his friends when he's not calling them on his cell phone. Outside, awaiting his arrival is a motor scooter, and a four-wheeler. Because his parents want him to be `well rounded', he is presently participating in three different sporting events and a club that keeps him away from his church and family.

What's wrong with this picture? Society doesn't teach us that there are more important things in life than filling our time with things that in many ways make us no better of a person. Character comes from both a mom and a dad who are willing to take a stand and say no to the seduction of influence that the world pressures us with. A healthy child comes from time spent together as a family, doing the simple things in life that make a family grow in their relationship with one another. It doesn't mean that having a few nice things or being a part of a sports team or club is a bad thing. In its place, it is a good thing. But we have substituted this with what is important and it has consumed our time with busyness that we use to soothe our conscience.

The guilt of an overextended mom who is trying to keep her head above water by working two full time jobs is heartbreaking. Trying to run a household and work out in the secular world has ravished her mind and body. She is exhausted. Is there really any way to get off this endless merry-go-round? I say, "Yes!!!" It starts with the word NO. Learn to say NO to the multitude of obstacles that threaten to consume our time and energy. Learn to say NO to the numerous sporting events, clubs, and school activities. Learn to say NO to having every new game or toy out on the market. Learn to say NO to stretching our finances well beyond their limits so that we may have bigger and better things! No! No! No!

Of course we must also recognize the need to say yes. Say YES to simplifying our lifestyle! Say YES to playing a game of ball in the backyard or building a fort with blankets in the living room! Say YES to making a volcano and watching the faces of your children while they squeal in delight. Say YES and do the supper dishes together, teaching them how to take out the trash or do the laundry. Say YES and show them how to bake a cake and take it to a friend or neighbor who's hurting. YES! YES! YES!

`Train up a child in the way that he should go' does not require us to give him/her all of his/her wants and desires. It does however indicate that we are to supply them with a healthy foundation to build upon. Being a mom involves love, time and sacrifice. It is our responsibility to teach our children to recognize their unique qualities and abilities so that they will have the determination to pursue their God-given talents, to be unselfish so that they may put others before themselves, to be thankful so that they may appreciate all that God has blessed them with, and to be compassionate so that they will be willing to help others who are less fortunate than themselves.

The price is too high for us to continue down this path that leads to deep regret. We as mothers need to wake up and smell the coffee.

Debbie Taylor
Pam Hickman
May 2006

copied with permission