“Once the kid’s get up in the morning, that’s the end of my sanity.”
“Can’t I even go to the bathroom by myself?”
I’ve heard statements like this repeatedly, and sometimes I
wonder if I'm abnormal because I don’t share these sentiments. I’ve always known that something was wrong
with me. I seem to always be just out of the loop of how a woman of my age and
station should behave. Obviously I’m not doing the mom thing right if I’m
enjoying it right?
Sure there are times I don’t want to be interrupted, sure I
get tired of how demanding a toddler can be. But when I do, I stop and remember
that my daughter is a soul with a body. That she is uniquely her own person. That she
is created in the image of God, and that out of all the people in the world God
entrusted her to my care. She is not mine, and she is not an interruption.
Raising her is simply the most important thing I will ever do, and doing so is
not a menial task that makes me less of a woman, but rather the closest I can
come to joining the hand of God in action.
Answering my daughter lovingly, and taking time to laugh with her is not an interruption but the most important work of heaven.
I think anyone who has dealt with the constant needs and
demands of a child has known what it is to be frustrated with the
responsibilities of parenting. However listening to and participating in
conversations about these trials has caused me to pause lately and wonder if
feelings like these, though valid, are right.
So the next time your kiddo wants to sit in your lap while you are trying to write a letter, wants
one more story, or interrupts your grownup conversation. I hope you will take a
second look into your child’s eyes, and see the God-created spark of the
eternal soul that God gave specifically to your stewardship. And when you look, see that there is nothing more important than unreservedly giving your child the next few minutes.