Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The Harshest Critic

There are a lot of things that my kids do that simply drive me nuts. Truthfully, I could make a pretty long list of things that annoy me on a daily basis (I could equally compose a list of great attributes and wonderful qualities that impress me on a daily basis as well, in all fairness). For example, they interrupt when I am on the phone, they pick on each other just to get a reaction, they jump off furniture after being told not to, they sneak the dog in the house when I prefer to keep her outside....the list goes on. But seriously, all it takes is for one of them to come over and give me a hug or want to snuggle on the couch or tell me that they love me and everything else that was/is bothersome disappears. It can't compare to their outpouring of emotion.

That's the great thing about kids. They can be hellions one minute and sweet as can be the next. The good moments far outweigh the bad and those good moments are exponentially more positive than the bad moments are negative. They just are, even on the worst day.

Kids are so much work and there are some days where I think I am going to lose my mind. However, there are so many good days, good moments that absolutely dominate those bad moments and bad days. It makes everything worth it.

Being a mom is the single most important job I will ever have and I want to make sure I do it right. There are plenty of instances that make me question whether or not I am doing it right or well enough. However, if I am honest there are so many more moments that should be an affirmation that what I am doing is right and best for them. I just need to pay more attention to those. I would venture to say that most moms are hard on themselves and question their parenting. I would also say that a lot of moms are doing a great job raising great kids.

1 comment:

Joanne said...

That you chose to stay home with your children speaks volumes to your mothering qualities. Being that daily presence in their lives, just including them in the day to day of living, not even counting the extra kid activities, has more influence than you'd think. Kudos!