Motherhood: The Best Job On Earth

I don't have much to blog about; My life is really monotonous. Tonight, as I was trying to cook pork chops, make a broccoli salad, and bake some corn muffins for dinner while having Hannah pull on my legs, asking me to hold her and tripping over the numerous pots and pans and cans that lay on the floor because my daughter loves to pull things out of their place, I thought about what I would blog about today. Being a stay at home mother has been the most challenging career that I have had so far in my life. I feel like I do almost the same thing everyday. I clean up the same messes, cook dinner, do the dishes several times, fold laundry, tell Hannah to stop playing with the DVD players, printers, and to keep her hands out of the toilet, and in the midst of it, try to keep her happy. This has been especially hard these last few months, as she has been so dependent on me and wants to follow me everywhere I go. She is a good girl for most of the day, but she's also very good at throwing tantrums or whining if she doesn't get her way. On top of that, mothering has been especially challenging for me because I am so concerned with doing everything perfectly. I don't want to spoil her, yet I don't want to take the fun out of everything either. I've heard of too many studies (especially being a Sociology major) that say if you do this, your child will turn out good or bad, like letting your child watch TV. One study tells me that Baby Einstein is good for a baby's development, while another study tells me that letting children watch TV before the age of 2 is related with ADD and ADHD. Therefore, I am no longer allowing Hannah to watch much TV (only once or twice a week), which means I have to be more creative. I feel like I am trying too hard to be the perfect mother, when all I really need is to realize that every child is different, and I should base my mothering style on what my child's needs are.

This all may sound like I am complaining about being a stay at home mother, but that is not the point of this blog. I would not change being a mother for the world. After listening to M. Russell Ballard's talk on Sunday, I realized just how important being a mother truly is (This was one of the best talks that I have ever heard). I love staying at home with Hannah. It is challenging, but I am so glad that I haven't missed a moment of her growing up. I might have to go back to work in the fall so that Scott can focus on his studies, and it will break my little heart, but I have been so grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be there for Hannah, and cook dinner for my family, and clean up the same messes everyday. Things really could not be any better than they are right now (well, maybe if Scott was no longer in school and we lived in a house). Being a mother has truly made me grateful for my own mother. I don't know how she was able to raise 5 children and still have her patience (she says that she's not a patient person but I don't remember her losing her patience often with me). I often lose mine with one child. Being a mother is the greatest gift that God could give to us. I am so blessed to be a woman!

Anyway, I don't really know why I blogged about this. I have just been losing my patience often with Hannah and have since realized how blessed that I am to have her in my life, so thank you for letting me share.