A belated Happy Mothers Day to any Moms who see this. It'd be easy to get sentimental and include the sappy but true cliches about how being a Mom means accepting that a piece of your heart will forever more walk around outside your body.
But I'm feeling a bit more practical today, which means my thoughts about motherhood all tie in to how children affect their parents' sleep habits. (Could it be sleep deprivation that's putting me in such a practical mood?) For me, motherhood means no longer being in control of when I sleep and when I wake. It means viewing late afternoon car rides with mixed emotions because you know the kids will take much-needed naps, but then will be rarin' to go late into the evening. It means best intentions to get up early and jog can be dashed by the sound of a toddler's whimpers at 5:12 a.m. It means feeling even prouder of things accomplished, like still managing to run two miles on the treadmill after she went back to sleep, despite those kind of interruptions.
Don't get me wrong. Motherhood isn't all about sacrifice. There are plenty of rewards. Once again I'll stick to the practical ones. If you didn't have kids, people would think you were weird to spend an afternoon building way cool houses out of Legos.
Okay... I can't be completely unsentimental. Motherhood also means truly loving the scribbled Mothers Day card your preschooler colored at daycare. And when he asks what's the best part of it, being able to honestly say, "My favorite part is that it's from you."
But I'm feeling a bit more practical today, which means my thoughts about motherhood all tie in to how children affect their parents' sleep habits. (Could it be sleep deprivation that's putting me in such a practical mood?) For me, motherhood means no longer being in control of when I sleep and when I wake. It means viewing late afternoon car rides with mixed emotions because you know the kids will take much-needed naps, but then will be rarin' to go late into the evening. It means best intentions to get up early and jog can be dashed by the sound of a toddler's whimpers at 5:12 a.m. It means feeling even prouder of things accomplished, like still managing to run two miles on the treadmill after she went back to sleep, despite those kind of interruptions.Don't get me wrong. Motherhood isn't all about sacrifice. There are plenty of rewards. Once again I'll stick to the practical ones. If you didn't have kids, people would think you were weird to spend an afternoon building way cool houses out of Legos.
Okay... I can't be completely unsentimental. Motherhood also means truly loving the scribbled Mothers Day card your preschooler colored at daycare. And when he asks what's the best part of it, being able to honestly say, "My favorite part is that it's from you."
The homily at church yesterday was about how love means sacrificing for others. As a mom, I thought that was very appropriate.
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