Manic Monday: Trip

I was watching something on tv today about motherhood and felt it was quite negative and discouraging. The women on the show discussing motherhood were doing so in an attempt to let moms everywhere know that being a mom isn't easy, and that's ok. Instead, I thought it made motherhood look difficult, miserable and unfulfilling.

But that's not how I feel about motherhood at all. I find joy in being a mom every day. Of course it isn't always easy, even a simple trip to the grocery store can be quite an undertaking with three kids. Just to make it out the door I have to find four matching pairs of shoes. And since I have a baby who likes to carry random things, like shoes, around the house, that's no easy task.

But even thinking of that makes me smile. Yes, at the time I might not find it very amusing, but after the fact, all I can think about is my cute baby walking around with shoes and putting them in laundry baskets and kitchen cabinets. It really is pretty cute to watch.

I feel so blessed every day to be a mom. I love my kids more than then will ever really understand and I love watching them learn and grow. Of course, sometimes, the way they learn may be frustrating. But when Camden asks me "why?" for the twentieth time in a row I try to remind myself that he won't learn something if he doesn't ask about it. So I try to humor him until I completely run out of answers or we get down to a cellular level in our discussion.

There's no rule book either which apparently makes some aspects of motherhood harder, not easier, as children grow. The more Jace is learning about the world and the way things work, the more he questions the rules or my reasoning behind them. But even his stubbornness doesn't make me hate being a mom. It really is what I've always wanted.

I feel so blessed to be able to spend my time with my kids. Watching them see or do something for the first time is magical. Their excitement is truly contagious. And that's just one tiny example of how incredible it is to spend a day with a child. For me, the benefits of motherhood far outweigh the less appealing aspects of it; allowing me to truly find joy in motherhood.