A Smidge of Validation

I was a little hesitant to write another post tonight because I didn't want to bury my prayer request that I just posted regarding Luke. But, I did a quick little hop, skip, and jump over to Ken M.'s blog that focuses on our children and youth programs at church. When I got there, of course I couldn't resist the post about The Greatest Mom Ever. I figured that if I took a small little peek, I might get a little grin from something that my kids had said.

Probably like most Moms, I sometimes feel like my life's work as a Mom is pretty pointless and meaningless. My days are often filled with dirty laundry, messy kitchens, clutter, grime, and things that defy recognition. (sometimes...you just don't go there.) Dealing with these daily issues is like being sentenced to forced labor....hauling a pile of rocks from one place to another...and then back again. Laundry, for instance, is never done. Your family is wearing your next load even as you fold the "last" washed item.

Anyway....I digress. I was saying all that to say that sometimes all the work I put in as a mother sometimes feels like the acts of the unsung hero. At times, it feels like all the hard work I put into things to make things "special" just never seem to matter. I certainly don't hear: "Well done, Mom. I will remember this act for the rest of my life." Though, I do often hear about the things that I forgot to do...or that fell short of their expectations. When I am tired and weary, I often wonder if the work I put into things is worth it. What's the point?

Anyway, Ken asked the kids yesterday, on Mother's Day, what was the greatest thing about your mother? Some of the responses were pretty mundane like: "She cooks." (oh joy...) Some were quite amusing. I'm sure that Wyatt's mom would like to know that her greatest thing is that she cleans up after his messy dad. (I'm still chuckling about that one!) As I read the list, my curiosity about what my kids said grew and grew.

When I first read their responses, I was, at first, a little disappointed. Don't we all yearn for great things to be said by our children....especially when they are about you? Daria said that I help them with their homework. (yippee! Isn't that exciting?) Then I read that Caden felt that the greatest thing about me was that I take them on camping trips.

At first, like I said, I was a little disappointed. Then I read Caden's remark about camping again. To remember those few camping trips in a pinch-hit moment like that seemed fairly remarkable to me. He remembers those trips. They certainly weren't very grand trips....but grand enough that he remembers. And that he remembered them enough to think I was great because of it.....well....

That made me smile.