“Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger.
If you do the little jobs well,
the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”
Dale Carnegie
Parenting is a long trek, isn't it? There are no project deadlines, no annual awards, no bonus checks. I think one of the things that is hardest for a new mother to accept, at least it was for me, is that my life is changed forever. FOREVER is a mighty long time. (Did I just quote Prince? Because God knows I didn't mean to.) Forever we will love these children with our hearts hanging on our sleeves. Forever we will wonder, "Did I do right by them?" Forever we will worry, we will care, we will love.
When it comes to small children, I think the care they receive from their parents makes or breaks them. In those tender years, when the world as they will know it is being siphoned into their intricate beautiful little brains, what they see, what they feel, what they experience, forms their little spirits.
Today I wonder if we sometimes take this all for granted.
It seems we are easily led to believe that others can do just as good a job as we can caring for our little ones during those important years.
It seems that we trust experts more than we trust ourselves.
It seems like we are too eager to break that overwhelming bond that is felt that first time you see that baby that will call you "mom" forever.
It seems like we are too easily swayed by what we are "supposed" to call good parenting, when we really think about it, many of those things are just fluff, and not the good stuff...the hard stuff.
Babies don't need much. Toddlers can play with dirt and stones. Children can learn from a few books and nature. But one thing they all need is us.
And all those little moments, all those little chores we do every day, they add up. And I strongly believe that all these little jobs, done with mother love in our hearts, come back to reward us one day. In happy babies, sweet toddlers, smart children, healthy teenagers, and complete adults. If we give the time NOW, I think, we will avoid many of the pitfalls of parenting. Does that mean we will always have an easy time of it? No. But we will have a deep connection, a sense of what that infant, toddler, child, teenager is experiencing in our inner spirits.
That's why I firmly believe in lots of hugs and cuddles and kisses for as long as they'll let me :)
ReplyDeleteVery well-said!!
ReplyDeleteI am the new mom of a 3 week old and I definitely needed the past couple of entries about being a mom. Thanks! I love your blog, I read it daily :)
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said Sarah...as always :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder. I have a sick almost 2 year old, and he needed lots of hugs and reassurances after throwing up--lots of times-today. Not a fun job, and washing up after it is not fun. I loved being there with him and wondered if anyone else would have cared as much as I in his time of despair. Thanks for reminding me that what I signed up for is so much bigger than fun, so much better, so much more.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful message. I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this today, I really needed to hear it. I feel like I have so much to do today, but my 5 mo just wants to cuddle with mommy and nurse. I think I'll savor these moments while I still can...
ReplyDeleteAmen! Thanks for this today. Sometimes it helps to know other moms out their feel the same as me. have a great day.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thank you for the sweet reminder :)
ReplyDeleteWonderfully written! I think I need to re-read this every week so it's firmly planted in my brain!... Being a mom is a MASSIVE (and a lot of times frustrating) role and I need all the advice I can get! Loving your blog, your honesty and wise words are so refreshing :)
ReplyDeleteAmen. Very well said, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful reminder! I definitely needed that today (not one of the easy days, let's say)!
ReplyDeleteSo well said! Being a mom is wonderful and being a grandmother is just as wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to take my granddaughter to a tennis lesson and play ball with my grandson while my daughter and son-in-law are on a short trip to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Their other grandmother has been watching them when they aren't in school. How lucky we are!
thank you for sharing this. your blog really inspired me today - i needed that.
ReplyDeleteit is the hardest job in the world...and every day i wonder if i did good enough!
ReplyDeleteThe most beautiful thing about children is that they don't ask us to be perfect, they just ask to be loved. Great post!
ReplyDeleteSarah, as always I love this and just wanted I needed to read/hear again! Very well said...you do such a great job!
ReplyDeleteYES! Right on! AMEN! all that and a bag of chips! plain ol' good stuff here!
ReplyDeleteYou put it beautifully, Sarah! Nice job. Diana
ReplyDeleteI love your little pep-me-up posts. They always seem to come when I really need them. And yes, I agree. I think the little jobs are just a microcosm of the big picture, so we have to make each effort a compassionate, conscientious one if we want it to all add up to a happy, well grounded kid. Thanks for the boost. Off to finish more little jobs of the day with a spring in my step...
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! Beautiful. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo eloquently and clearly communicated.
ReplyDeleteI needed this...
It kind of just packaged everything...every little unpopular thing...that I believe SO firmly.
You put it all together and packaged it and delivered it to us so we knew we weren't the ONLY one's who
VALUE the GIFT...
the WEIGHTY role...
the FOREVER commitment...
Of being called...Mom.
Thanks, Sarah.
This may be my favorite post of yours to date. And that's saying something. Thank you so much for writing this.
ReplyDeleteYes! I love what you wrote today. I have been feeling this for a while now. You said it just right. There is no substitute for a mother. What a powerful gift we have!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said, Sarah! I was talking a lot lately with my mother about my staying at home plan for the future and I get no support!!! For her, having my job back and an income when retired, seem to be more important. I'm a little bit sad...
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! You are of great help for me!
http://blue-jeans-girl.blogspot.com/
What a gift you are! Your posts seems to always touch my heart, reassure my doubts and leave me a little more eqipped for my journey. Sure wish I lived on Clover Lane! A little occasional coffee talk with an honest, intentional, diligent, Christian (Catholic) mom would be a joy. Blessings to you! :)
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! My 11 yo son gave me a hug this morning - it was so wonderful...since it doesn't happen quite as often as it used to. And he still waves and blows kisses from the bus (cuz no one else can see him....) I feel every ache and worry that he does - the connection is so deep.
ReplyDeleteI just read your last few posts and I want to Thank You very,very much for this and the I get to... post. What a wonderful way to change my attitude. I now get to go do the laundry. Thanks !!!!
ReplyDeleteI just love visiting your site. I never know whether to expect funny pictures of bathroom reading material, words of experience, or motivating words that help me refocus. Thank you for this. Remembering how much the little things count make it easier to work toward that greater goal.
ReplyDeleteAlso - your post awhile back completely inspired me to get my massive, out-of-control stack of photos from the past 7 or 8 years tamed and into albums. Thank you for that, too!
Love this post! Just as I was washing new sheets for my kids to move into their own beds, I read a post like this...let the co-sleeping continue! : )
ReplyDeleteI just love your blog. It is really hard to find people in my everyday life who feel the same as I do about so many things.
ReplyDeleteBTW love the Prince quote, I will be singing it all day now! Reminds me of big hair and electric blue eyeshadow.
I love that I can connect with other moms who feel as strongly as I do about Motherhood. They may not live on my street or in my town and that's ok...coming here does it for me! Great post Sarah!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for being so "real" in your posts. I have been a SAHM for 8 years, with part-time work/school on and off during the first 5.5 years. I just started feeling so overwhelmed by this job again, feeling like my kids would be better off if someone else took care of a lot of the mundane daily stuff and I went back to work full-time. Like others have said, this is just what I needed to hear today. I need to remember that moms go through phases just like kids.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I have a three-year-old son and am expecting our second son in February. My husband works to provide financially for our family so I can focus on our children full time. The past few days I've been thinking a lot about the sacrifices he makes for our family and wondering if I always make the best choices to express gratitude for and honor those sacrifices. Questions like - does he do that for me so I can get a babysitter and go to lunch on a whim? Nope. Does he do that for me so I can say yes to a million full time and unpaid projects that take me away from home? Nope. Does he do that for me so I can be with our son when he finally took the last steps to be officially potty trained and hear him shout, "Mom I pooped in the toilet! That makes you so happy!" Yes. Long comment, but I appreciate your perspective and totally agree with you :)
ReplyDeletewhew.... i don't know how i missed this post a few days ago but God knew i needed it TODAY. i wonder if you realize how many hearts and homes you have encouraged? thank you. :)
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