You are Mom

Yesterday, my firstborn baby turned 7! I can’t figure out where 7 years went at all! Well my sweet, girly, all things cool little girl requested a mermaid birthday. We don’t do big parties every year but I always try to make their cake special and in the theme they requested. Now that we’ve reached school age, I also make cupcakes to take to school to match. Of course, my days are all slow and boring with lots of spare time as a mom, so I decided to do something more complex and involved than I usually do. It only took 3 days and a couple really late nights to get it all to come together. Last night, as I was doing up all the dishes from my baking extravaganza, I got to thinking. First off, whoever has to do all the clean up and dishes after all these baking competitions better get paid REAL well. Secondly, I thought of all the work, lack of sleep, frustration, and my aching back and how I had complained about those things. How, as moms, we face things like that everyday. How most days “in the trenches” are long and often at the end we feel we made no difference and accomplished nothing. The house is still dirty. The laundry is still in various stages of needing done all over the house. The dishes are still dirty (I mean seriously, does anyone ever really have a completely empty sink for longer than it takes to snap the picture to prove it was?). Then I thought of the conversation I had with my birthday girl earlier that day. We were on our way home from school where I’d brought her lunch and cupcakes. She was talking about her day and she said “thank you for bringing my cupcakes, Mommy. You always do so much for us. You deserve a break.” I said “I will get one soon” (my Christmas present was a girl’s weekend that is coming up in a month). She said “But I want you to have a break forever”. My response was “Then that would mean I wasn’t your mommy anymore. I don’t want that.” I didn’t think much of that conversation at the time but as I was doing all those dishes and mentally complaining, I was reminded of it. That last statement is so true. For the sleepless nights, dirty dishes, mounds of laundry, toys everywhere, food smears on random surfaces, and all the other things that I often get frustrated with were to go away, it would mean I wouldn’t be a mom. And I don’t want that. I love my kids. They add so much joy and happiness to my life. So momma, when you are feeling down or extra tired or under appreciated, remember this. Those all just mean that you are mom. That you get to watch those precious babies grow. That moment of cuddling where 35 things aren’t getting done is a moment of pure joy for them. That night on the couch is comfort and security for that poor sick kiddo to get the sleep they need. That lost few hours of sleep and aching back is the source of the joy and pride in their voice when they show everyone the picture of their awesome mermaid cake. You are their comfort, refuge, and super hero. You can do anything. You are mom 🙂