A Little More Joy

This weekend, I spent some time letting my mind get lost in the world of "Mommy blogging." I jumped from blog to blog, reading about other mom's trials, laughs, loves and lessons learned. Then I got frustrated with some of what I was reading so I shut down the computer and can honestly say I haven't looked at another blog since. I was so disgruntled I didn't even want to write my own blog. Seriously, it was that bad.

But then I came across this picture today...

...and I laughed for a long time. Then I knew exactly what I wanted to write.

(Be prepared, I'm about to step up on my soapbox for a little bit.)

What frustrated me most about a lot, and I mean A LOT, of the blogs I was reading were how so many had the tone of "woe is me." Many complained how tired they were; how they loved when their kids were fast asleep at night so they could think without screams in the background; how they felt like their hair looked awful from day one of pregnancy and would never regain it's beautiful shine and bounce; how their kids are fun and lovable, but sometimes it's all just too much to bear.

If you can't see why this might have bothered me, let me go a little deeper.

The moment you become pregnant, it's obvious your life will change. Yes, you may be  sleep deprived and may not have the ability to go out whenever you please. Your finances will get tighter, your house will appear smaller, and there will be grey hairs.

But those are all so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In God's masterful plan to make you a parent, He wasn't hoping you would sit around every evening and mull over all the negatives. He hoped you would learn from the hard moments, laugh at the funny ones, and bask in the beauty of the rest. But these blogging moms were incessant. Post after post after post was focused on them. The blog claimed to be a family blog, taking readers on the adventures of their families, but instead turned into an outlet for them to constantly complain about how hard being a parent is.

Again, let me say this, being a parent isn't easy. It isn't always glamorous.


So at times, while reading, I found myself nodding in agreement with their frazzled feelings. But I was heartbroken to read (in quite a few blogs, might I add) that the best time of day for so many mothers out there is the time they tuck their kids in at night. If that's the best time of the day, how they must dread waking up every single morning and facing all those daylight hours! Every mom has had moments where she counts down until nap time, because let's face it, there are days when all a kid - and mom - needs is a some quiet time. But to covet bedtime so much because you can catch up on t.v., eat junk food and relax on the couch alone throws up some major red flags for me.

Many may think I'm crazy, but I'm that mom that sometimes misses my babies so much when they're asleep I want to go wake them up to play. I check on them at least twice after they've gone to bed just to see if someone needs an extra kiss goodnight, or if both are in a deep sleep, I take a great amount of comfort and joy in watching their little chests rise and fall.

I still feel this way after days where Jimmy is climbing up on the kitchen island, knocking over my glass centerpieces  and leaving syrup-sticky fingers in his wake. And there are days when Jackson bites me, pulls out my hair, or won't play nice with his big brother. This house isn't perfect. It's no where near. But none of that makes me want to be a mother less, or for that matter, want to wish days away and potentially miss all of those moments.

One day, all of our kids will be grown up, self sufficient and with families of their own. I certainly don't want to look back on a blog that only condemned them for their natural behavior and focused on what I was missing from life. I want to look back and say, yeah, it sure was tough, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

Raising our kids is the the most important job God can give us. Sitting around complaining about the job doesn't do much in terms of glorifying Him for his magnificent miracles. Instead, I think of it this way - when things get tough, I can steal away in my mind for a few minutes and lay my problems and stress down at the feet of Jesus and after I do that it's done. I've said my piece. I've vented to the one person who can truly change my attitude and heart. After that, it's back to finding the joy in the day, in their smiles, in their laughs, and in the love these precious children bring. If you want an Earthly reward for your job as a parent, you won't get one here. Your reward awaits in Heaven.