Motherhood

I feel so blessed that I have been able to be a stay-at-home-mom since the day Austin came into the world. Being a SAHM has been great and there is nothing I would have rather been doing during these past 11 years of my life. Motherhood has always been rewarding but definitely hasn't always been easy. I remember when all 3 kids were little and Aaron worked ALL the time. There were more than a few occassions I thought I would lose my mind. There were even more occassions when I felt I had no idea what I was doing and questioned why I had thought I could be successful as a mother. Those were tough days but the good news is...we survived them. We have moved past those crazy, chaotic years into much more relaxing ones. As I watch the way my kids live their lives I am beginning to think that MAYBE, inspite of all my blundering, I actually did something right. Two weeks ago Austin was playing at his friend's house and accidently broke an irrigation pipe. He came home very upset because he knew he needed to tell his friend's dad what had happened and facing this man was pretty scary for him. I was so proud of him when he went over there that evening to make things right. About a week later Aaron and I went out on a date and the kids stayed home with a babysitter. They were all watching "Willie Wonka" when nine o'clock rolled around and the kids suddenly turned the TV off to go to bed. The sitter told them she was sure it would be okay if they stayed up until the movie was over but they insisted that they go to bed then, because I had told them to be in bed at 9pm. This absolutely shocked the sitter who usually has to wrestle kids into going to bed. Two days ago Austin's teacher who is quite a grumpy woman, unfairly blamed him for something he didn't do. In his frustration, he said something to her with a bit of an attitude. The next morning he apologized to her, knowing that what he had said was disrespectful. She told him cheerfully that he was 100% forgiven and she was unusually nice the rest of the day. I know I sound like a prideful bragging mother but the truth is, these kids seem to be turning out pretty good. I love that they have integrity. I love that they are willing to do what's right even when it's uncomfortable. I love that they have compassion for others. There are so many things that I love and admire about them. My point in all of this is really not to pat myself on the back for a job well done. Honestly, it is more of a sigh of relief. What a RELIEF it is that they seem to be on their way to becoming good, responsible, people with a strong desire to do what is right. Now, if we can only make it through the teen years....