Sometimes... life is better in black and white

Sunday, May 11

A Tribute to My Children on Mother's Day!

It's the end of the day and after writing and conducting interviews for more than eight hours, I finally hang up the phone and shut down the computer. It's time to retire for the night.

But. . . as I look around me I'm reminded I have yet another job to attend to. My shift ended at one job but now I have yet another I need to go to. And by the looks of it, I should have probably clocked in for duty hours ago.

The kitchen sink is stacked with dishes and the counters look my children have been fingerpainting with peanut butter and jelly. Not to mention the Top Ramen that stains the counter -- how I hate that food. But. . . when it's my children's favorite dish the option of never buying it again would only bring loud protests. So I just need to grin and take it.

I've already spent an hour cleaning and picking up the kitchen, living room and hallway upstairs. I wander downstairs thinking I can finally relax maybe even watch a little TV. Nope! Downstairs
literally looks like someone threw a party and forgot to clean up after everyone disappeared.

This is the only job in my life I've had that doesn't offer me 15-minute breaks, lunch hours, insurance benefits, vacations, sick leave or even kudos. I don't even get any financial payment. My job here never ends. Regardless of how many hours I put in I still have more. The tasks are endless and so are the hours. And there isn't much appreciation or gratitude either especially, from my teenage daughters over the age of 15.

This job doesn't allow me a lot of interaction with other adults either. In fact generally all of my conversations center around teenage dramas, Barney the purple dinosaur, Tomagotchis and sibling issues.

It's now 1 in the morning and finally after cleaning up peanut butter and jelly, bread crumbs, dishes, clothes, toys and whatever else I have a chance to relax. But as I pass my children's rooms and peak in on them I see my three-year-old son peacefully laying in his bed asleep. It's the only time of the day he isn't going. I think about his smiles, his laughter, his kisses and his "I love yous," and I smile myself at the thought of how much I love him. I pass my other son's room and he too is sound asleep. Like his brother he brings a smile to my face as I think about his laugh and his nonstop questions about how the world works.

Then there's my girls. I look in on them and this time a teardrop falls. It's not a tear of sadness but of gratitude. And all of a sudden in that moment as my feelings overwhelm me I realize, this job is really the one that brings the most joy and happiness. The job of being a mother.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! Yes, it is such a hard job, but the rewards are great even though they are not guaranteed. When those little ones are sleeping, it is easy to get overwhelmed with love, but sometimes when they are awake screaming I want to hide. ;)

Thanks for visiting my blog and finding me on Twitter. I wanted to encourage you that the insecurity of blogging gets easier to deal with. It hasn't gone completely away for me, but it has lessened a great deal. So welcome to the blogosphere! :D