Because I am your mother.

Kids finally fell asleep at 10 PM last night. Woke up at 6:30 AM. Looking to be one of those days… Somebody save us.

One of the bad things about being constantly tired is that you always forget what you were about to say…

Just got kicked out of the game we were playing (for no apparent reason) and was kicked out like this: “mommy, you have to leave because this room is just for kiddos, but you can go to your room. There is ALL the makeup you want in there.” Did my child just patronize me??

Lucked out and was assigned the part of the dead person in today’s pretend play. This means I get to just lay there and not be berated for it. I need to be the pretend corpse more often.

I’ve only been a mom for slightly over 4 years now. I can honestly say there was NOTHING in my background that prepared me enough for the intensity of motherhood.

It is a hard job, yes. No, not the hardest. Coal miners have it hard. Challenging, yes. Infinitely. Impossible to master. Because there are things you can practice and train for and eventually get really good at. Motherhood (and parenting, because dads count, too) constantly changes things up on you. You will NEVER master anything because by the time you do, your child is on to something else which requires a completely new set of skills.

Everyday, you wake up and hit the ground running. And you don’t stop until your eyes begin to protest and close against your will.

Motherhood is also an exercise in generosity. And sometimes we get too good at it. We love so much that we put everyone’s needs before ours.

It is physically exhausting. There is no such thing as a “down” day anymore. Sleeping in becomes rare and waking up with a poke to the eye becomes more and more normal.

Yes, it is a challenging and difficult job. No matter how we approach it, there will always be naysayers, critical voices (others and ourselves), infinite questioning of our decisions; and they may all come from your very offspring. And from yourself. Day after day, tantrum after tantrum, sometimes stripping you of the last shred of dignity you feel is left. And yet here we are. We haven’t Thelma and Louise’d it yet and gone to live a life of debauchery somewhere on the road.

We’re here because we love these little ones so much. Some days can be a drag and so hard that we’re driven to tears and alcohol. But every so often you get the thrill of receiving an unsolicited kiss or hug or “I love you”. You see that all the hard work has paid off when you see your children feeling secure in themselves, being able to give and receive love, confident, happy and peaceful.

When you see that, through it all, they are happy and know they are loved, then you know it is all worthwhile.

And that’s why I love being mom to my boys.

When you sing “that’s the way I like it”, your oldest quickly responds “that’s NOT the way I like it!”