The Life of a Stay-At-Home Mom

Life seems to get so frantic. You all know that life gets busy, it happens to you, and yes, it happens to me. Most people's first reaction when they see or hear that I have three boys is that I must be busy. But I know that they aren't referring to a busy that seems productive, you know, where you go to work for eight hours and at the end of the day you feel as though you have accomplished something. No, the image that I get when someone says that I must be busy is the image of a chicken with its head cut off. It just kind of sputters around aimlessly until it looses its steam and then lays down and gives up. Most days I admit, I am exhausted, am in need of some alone time, and feel like I accomplished nothing. The only thoughts I have are of how I messed up that day, or how I am going to mess up the evening. Last week or it may have been the week before I heard a woman say that a stay at home mom's job can be described in one word: wipe. I wipe counters, floors, faces, and bottoms. Only in my case I have to wipe Josiah's hair, arms, and belly after he eats too. Heck sometimes I have to give that kid a bath after a meal.

The feeling of having accomplished something comes seldom in a mom's life. You may think that I will get that feeling when my kids start to walk, read, or give their life to Jesus. Yes, you are right, but if you did the math to see how many days contain a breakthrough in their education or development and those days that we are trying to get the breakthrough, you would find the latter far outweighs the former. Andrew will be 1 this week, he still doesn't like standing up while holding onto the couch. He would rather hitch around the room than learn to walk. Josiah, though, doesn't call everything yellow, now it is either yellow or blue. Elijah can sort of write his name, but getting him to do it is a chore. So yes, I have a long way to go, and yes, we are all busy here at the Smith's.

As for today, I skipped schooltime because we went to Heritage Manor to visit people, and they watched a 30 minute Veggietale after lunch instead of going outside, because I wasn't up to putting them in snow pants for 15 minutes of fun; and I lost my temper with Josiah 3 times because he has decided his answer to everything is "I don't want to". So I pray that the Lord would have mercy on me, and that my children will not hold my shortcomings against me. As for goals and accomplishments... I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the faith. So I will persevere, and work my hardest as a mom so that they will desire to do the Lord's will.

The next time you see a mother with little children, and comment that she must be busy. Don't think of the headless chicken, but rather of a soldier on a long march. This soldier is persevering, because she knows that in the end there will be victory and all that monotonous activity to get there is well worth it.

How about you? Are you doing the Lord's will with your time? Are you wasting 4 hours a day watching TV and not reading your bible? This Easter consider what you should be doing to surrender your life into the King's hand.