Gratitude for Motherhood

When I was a teen, the only thing I aspired to be was a mother. Sure, I liked dinking around on the computer but I wasn't going to do anything with that. The only reason I went to college was because my parents convinced me that I could get a General Business degree and help Keith in his business {sneaky, aren't they}. In fact, my aspirations were so well know that I was voted Most Likely to Have 15 Kids by the yearbook staff my senior year.

I gave college a go and actually found a job that paid me for dinking around on the computer, but motherhood was always the one thing that I wanted. And when some friends found out that they were having their first child, even though I still had way too much schooling left, I couldn't take it anymore.

Now, none of our children were "planned" in the normal sense. And none of them came at a convenient time. But each were a blessing.

I fell in love with Leah. She was my first and we sat on the couch watching Oprah because I couldn't get much else done. Her smiles in the morning made up for waking up so early. I had no idea what I was doing and made many mistakes. I spoiled her by rocking her to sleep and then had to live with the consequences. Having her made me realize that my own mother LOVED me, much beyond I understood love to mean.

Justin taught me that all children are different. And while all my kids have the same easy-going nature, they are not all the same. Leah slept then ate; Justin ate then slept. Leah liked being rocked to sleep; Justin needed to be left alone. I may have know what I was doing but there were new challenges: Justin had febrile seizures and asthma.

Emma changed all the rules. She was the most verbal, forcing me to respond or she would repeat incessantly her question. She inspired fear when she bold-faced lied to me at the age of two {what would the teen years be like?}. She fooled me with the "cute face" for many years and got away with too much when she was little {has much changed?}. Yet, she is the one who forces me to be relational. And, best of all, her arrival made my work/home life balance so out of kilter that I started working part-time. This allowed me to be involved in everyone's field trips and class activities.

Of all things that I have been given, motherhood is by far what I am most thankful for.