I was surrounded by some of my favorite moms on Mother’s Day: my own mom, my MIL, our DIL, and a good friend. New moms, seasoned moms, moms who’ve lost children, and moms who have prayed for their offspring over and over. The one thing ALL moms discover once they’re a mom is this – I need you, God, I don’t know what I’m doing.
Nothing brings us to our knees faster than becoming a parent and realizing how small and ill-informed we are.
It’s a terrifying moment. We have this new identity – Mom. And we have no idea what that’s going to look like going forward.
And then…we figure it out. Minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. We move forward as best as we know how at the time. We make goofy mistakes and big mistakes – we’re no more perfect as moms than we were as non-moms – but we get it right a lot too. And our little charges are pretty resilient, so that works in our favor as well.
I’ve been blessed to have good examples of mom-hood in my life. My mom was the director of our home, the teacher, the instructor who modeled the correct way to do things.
My MIL has been a gentle, kind, supportive woman who I’m sure witnessed my mistakes, but never uttered a word about them.
Our DIL is a passionate young woman who is dedicated and loving and so full of joy to be a mom to our 15 month-old grandson.
Motherhood is an equally exhilarating and heart-wrenching adventure.
Once we hold that first-born, our heart then lives outside our chest, hanging off our shirt like a loose button. It’s open and exposed, available for every need our offspring has, from every tiny grasp to every teen age argument. It never fits back in the chest wall, because it gets bigger with every sloppy toddler kiss, every grade school Mother’s Day card and every tearful moment at high school graduation.
By the time we’re grandmothers…well, we need a bigger purse to lug around our bulging heart, along with gum, Matchbox cars, and Cheerios.
Motherhood and Nana-hood are the best adventures I’d ever had. I wish I had done some things differently (like THESE. CRINGE), but I wouldn’t exchange my ride for any another. I’ve learned so much about myself. God uses our children to teach us lessons we would not get otherwise (like THESE THINGS. OH MY.)
Thank you, kids, for making me a Mom. I love you with all my puffy heart.
God bless all moms everywhere. They’re doing the best they can, and they’d really like some help with the dishes.
Sweet!! Happy Mother’s Day to you all!! 🙂
Oh, that every mom would feel loved and appreciated tomorrow and have the blessing of knowing her children are safe and happy.
Great post, Marianne! Your mother and mother in law were both gorgeous! I love seeing photos like that.
Have a wonderful day with all the moms in your family!