mother knows best... or does she...
Another year has come and gone, and so has another month, Annabeth. And so I'm back with some motherly words of wisdom for you. This last month felt a bit like a whirlwind, and there was so much going on that it's hard for me to remember what all you've accomplished since the first of December. We had a wonderful Christmas break, and you really enjoyed Christmas this year. I was especially proud of you for sitting through the entire Christmas Eve service. You did provide some really funny commentary. During part of the service we took the Lord's supper while one of the church member sang a solo. After it was over and all was quiet, you looked at us and loudly exclaimed, "That was a good song!" You fell in love with Christmas trees and decided to refer to them as "Merry Christmas!" So every time you'd see a tree, you'd point and say, "It's a Merry Christmas!"
The week before Christmas started out to be what I thought might turn into a milestone week. You began using the toilet on your own with zero prompting. You did great for about a week or so, which tapered off, and now we're back to square one. Here's the thing, I'm not pushing it. Maybe that makes me a lazy mother but I don't see the point in stressing both of us for no good reason. You'll get there. You clearly know how it works, and so I'll start to worry if you don't have it figured out by kindergarten. That's the thing about life. Much of our stress is self-induced simply because we feel pressured to do things a certain way or at a certain time. Don't fall into that trap, Annabeth. Comparison is a dangerous thing and because you are a smart and determined girl, the last thing I want to do is create a battlefield in our home over something that will inevitably happen. You've been on this earth all of 2 years. You're still relatively new to this whole life thing. You won't be in diapers forever.
It's hard for me to believe you'll be a big sister in three months. You love babies, so I am confident you're going to be a fantastic big sister. Your dad and I haven't decided on a name for sister yet, but you have suggested we go with Mickey Mouse. It's a very unique name and she'd be the only one, that's for sure! I am soaking up these last three months with just the two of us. I'm looking forward to adding sister to the mix, but I know that will change how we do things and I really like how things are going right now. You do, too! One of the things I'll miss the most is our morning snuggles, but I'm going to try my best to work those in as much as we can!
Your dad and I stayed up late watching a football game last week between two top college teams. The players on these teams are young, and I find it strange that I'm at least a decade older than the majority of them. With their uniforms on, you'd think they're much older. When they take their helmets off, their youth is very obvious. The quarterback for the winning team was maybe 20 years old at the oldest. After the game ended he ran over to the sidelines to hug his mom. The camera had shown his mom in the crowd multiple times during the game and you could tell she was on pins and needles. I don't know this for a fact, but I am pretty confident that there is no other person who has invested more in his life and football career than his mother. I have a feeling she probably drove him to every practice, showed up to all his games, and cheered him up after any losses. There was a crowd of people who were there to congratulate and interview him and I thought the fact that he made a point to see his mom first was not only precious but said a lot about the privilege and blessing of the mother/child relationship.
The saying is "mother knows best." I do think God grants mothers a great amount of wisdom and intuition in order to raise children, but I don't think mothers always know best. I've already made my fair share of mistakes in my short two years of motherhood so I can easily say I don't always know what's best. A lot of the time I'm just making educated guesses. But I do think it would be fair to say "mother always wants the best." Because next to the good Lord himself, no one loves and knows a child more than that child's mother. And that's feeling doesn't go away with age, at least I don't think it does. Isaiah 49:15 says, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?" I think the answer is a rhetorical no. I can't speak for every mother, but I can definitely say there hasn't been a day of your life that you haven't been in my thoughts or on my mind. And when you care that much about someone, it makes sense that you always want the best for them.
I distinctly remember the night you were born. Some memories are a lot better than others, but I remember sitting in the recovery room after a surgery that only seemed a few minutes long and watching the nurses clean and bundle you up. Little did I know, a few hours had passed between the time I was prepped for surgery and the time we were finally ready to introduce you to the rest of the family. Grammy had been in the room with me most of the day keeping me entertained and helping the time pass. I wasn't the least bit concerned or worried about myself. I wasn't too worried about you, either. And finally, thank the Lord, the decision was made to deliver you via c-section so I bid her farewell not even thinking it could possibly be the last time. I was so excited for everyone to come in and see my precious little prize of a baby and the moment she entered the room she flung herself on me, tears of relief in her eyes, and said, "You're alive! You're okay!" Well, of course I was alive and okay. I just had a baby, not life saving brain surgery. But for two hours she had no clue what was happening other than the knowledge that her child had been whisked away for an emergency operation. She was concerned about me, I was concerned about you, and it was then that I began to realize just how much a mother cares about her child.
I'm going to make plenty of mistakes, Annabeth. Let's just get that out there in the open. I will not always do everything right or in the way that you think I should. I am not a perfect person, and I've let go of my attempts to be. There will be moments in life where I make a wrong decision, say the wrong words, or respond in the wrong way. And in those moments you might be tempted to think I'm ignorant or unloving or that I just don't care about you, but the truth is that I will always want what's best for you. Sometimes what's best and what's easiest, or most fun, or popular, doesn't look the same. But I promise that I didn't choose motherhood in order to ruin your life. And here's the thing, you're going to make your fair share of mistakes, too. Like every good relationship, we're going to have to forgive and show forgiveness many times along the way. Because we're both just figuring this out one step at a time. You'll always be my first child, and I'll always be your mother. Nothing will change that set up. And when we get to a tough spot where we just aren't sure what to do, then we do the one thing we know to do. We seek the Lord. He is the one who knows best. He is the one holds all the answers and gives us wisdom and knowledge we need. He always knows what to do. He won't mislead us, disappoint us, or ignore us. He will help us! And if there's ever a moment of doubt in your mind, then remember the rest of the words of Isaiah 49:15, "Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...".
And so you're in good hands, Annabeth. You have a mother who wants the best for you and a Heavenly Father who always knows what's best for you!
The week before Christmas started out to be what I thought might turn into a milestone week. You began using the toilet on your own with zero prompting. You did great for about a week or so, which tapered off, and now we're back to square one. Here's the thing, I'm not pushing it. Maybe that makes me a lazy mother but I don't see the point in stressing both of us for no good reason. You'll get there. You clearly know how it works, and so I'll start to worry if you don't have it figured out by kindergarten. That's the thing about life. Much of our stress is self-induced simply because we feel pressured to do things a certain way or at a certain time. Don't fall into that trap, Annabeth. Comparison is a dangerous thing and because you are a smart and determined girl, the last thing I want to do is create a battlefield in our home over something that will inevitably happen. You've been on this earth all of 2 years. You're still relatively new to this whole life thing. You won't be in diapers forever.
It's hard for me to believe you'll be a big sister in three months. You love babies, so I am confident you're going to be a fantastic big sister. Your dad and I haven't decided on a name for sister yet, but you have suggested we go with Mickey Mouse. It's a very unique name and she'd be the only one, that's for sure! I am soaking up these last three months with just the two of us. I'm looking forward to adding sister to the mix, but I know that will change how we do things and I really like how things are going right now. You do, too! One of the things I'll miss the most is our morning snuggles, but I'm going to try my best to work those in as much as we can!
Your dad and I stayed up late watching a football game last week between two top college teams. The players on these teams are young, and I find it strange that I'm at least a decade older than the majority of them. With their uniforms on, you'd think they're much older. When they take their helmets off, their youth is very obvious. The quarterback for the winning team was maybe 20 years old at the oldest. After the game ended he ran over to the sidelines to hug his mom. The camera had shown his mom in the crowd multiple times during the game and you could tell she was on pins and needles. I don't know this for a fact, but I am pretty confident that there is no other person who has invested more in his life and football career than his mother. I have a feeling she probably drove him to every practice, showed up to all his games, and cheered him up after any losses. There was a crowd of people who were there to congratulate and interview him and I thought the fact that he made a point to see his mom first was not only precious but said a lot about the privilege and blessing of the mother/child relationship.
The saying is "mother knows best." I do think God grants mothers a great amount of wisdom and intuition in order to raise children, but I don't think mothers always know best. I've already made my fair share of mistakes in my short two years of motherhood so I can easily say I don't always know what's best. A lot of the time I'm just making educated guesses. But I do think it would be fair to say "mother always wants the best." Because next to the good Lord himself, no one loves and knows a child more than that child's mother. And that's feeling doesn't go away with age, at least I don't think it does. Isaiah 49:15 says, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?" I think the answer is a rhetorical no. I can't speak for every mother, but I can definitely say there hasn't been a day of your life that you haven't been in my thoughts or on my mind. And when you care that much about someone, it makes sense that you always want the best for them.
I distinctly remember the night you were born. Some memories are a lot better than others, but I remember sitting in the recovery room after a surgery that only seemed a few minutes long and watching the nurses clean and bundle you up. Little did I know, a few hours had passed between the time I was prepped for surgery and the time we were finally ready to introduce you to the rest of the family. Grammy had been in the room with me most of the day keeping me entertained and helping the time pass. I wasn't the least bit concerned or worried about myself. I wasn't too worried about you, either. And finally, thank the Lord, the decision was made to deliver you via c-section so I bid her farewell not even thinking it could possibly be the last time. I was so excited for everyone to come in and see my precious little prize of a baby and the moment she entered the room she flung herself on me, tears of relief in her eyes, and said, "You're alive! You're okay!" Well, of course I was alive and okay. I just had a baby, not life saving brain surgery. But for two hours she had no clue what was happening other than the knowledge that her child had been whisked away for an emergency operation. She was concerned about me, I was concerned about you, and it was then that I began to realize just how much a mother cares about her child.
I'm going to make plenty of mistakes, Annabeth. Let's just get that out there in the open. I will not always do everything right or in the way that you think I should. I am not a perfect person, and I've let go of my attempts to be. There will be moments in life where I make a wrong decision, say the wrong words, or respond in the wrong way. And in those moments you might be tempted to think I'm ignorant or unloving or that I just don't care about you, but the truth is that I will always want what's best for you. Sometimes what's best and what's easiest, or most fun, or popular, doesn't look the same. But I promise that I didn't choose motherhood in order to ruin your life. And here's the thing, you're going to make your fair share of mistakes, too. Like every good relationship, we're going to have to forgive and show forgiveness many times along the way. Because we're both just figuring this out one step at a time. You'll always be my first child, and I'll always be your mother. Nothing will change that set up. And when we get to a tough spot where we just aren't sure what to do, then we do the one thing we know to do. We seek the Lord. He is the one who knows best. He is the one holds all the answers and gives us wisdom and knowledge we need. He always knows what to do. He won't mislead us, disappoint us, or ignore us. He will help us! And if there's ever a moment of doubt in your mind, then remember the rest of the words of Isaiah 49:15, "Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...".
And so you're in good hands, Annabeth. You have a mother who wants the best for you and a Heavenly Father who always knows what's best for you!
"You have a mother who wants the best for you and a Heavenly Father who always knows what's best for you!" very true, i love the article
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