Next Tuesday, CandyMan and I will celebrate our 14th anniversary. After I got married back in April 1995, having kids seemed like the logical next step. I’d always known that I wanted to be a mom. In fact, as a kid in Sunday school, I distinctly remember the day when my teacher asked our class what we wanted to be when we grew up. In my young mind, I thought, “Do I have to put down a career, or should I write down what I really want to be?” I decided to write them both.
Writer
No kidding. That was my 9-year-old dream. To be a Mom-writer. I’m proud to say that I’m a better mom than writer. It just made more sense to put more time and energy into the mom thing.
And I have put in quite a bit of time. The fact is, being a mom is hard work. And it’s not usually something I associate with being logical.
It’s not logical to throw exercise and diet out the window and spend 9 months gaining weight, but we do it for the chance to have a baby.
It’s not logical to put aside your personal life, goals, aspirations, and time, and turn all of your attention towards someone else, but we do it because that baby is more important than any of those things.
It’s not logical to get sleep in 2-hour chunks and still wake up smiling at the one keeping you up all night, but we do it over and over again.
Some things about being a mom are only logical to other moms.
My mom logic tells me that a happy child is more important than a clean house.
My mom logic reminds me that a fancy dinner is less important than a dinner eaten together. Even if you’re eating hot dogs.
My mom logic tells me that it’s ok to take a nap every once in a while, especially when you’re snuggling up with your sleepy 3 year old.
My mom logic reminds me that waiting til noon to grab a shower is completely acceptable. So is putting a johnny jump up in the bathroom door frame. It’s also acceptable to wear a ponytail and postpone the shower….
My mom logic says that encouraging my children and making them feel good about themselves is more valuable than straight As on a report card.
My mom logic says that one plus five rarely equals six, at least when you’re talking about one mom and 5 kids. Where there is one child, there will probably be more. But adding numbers to a crowd like mine usually means less work for me (until clean-up time comes)
Speaking of cleaning, my mom logic reminds me that teaching my kids the essential skills that they will need to be independent someday may take extra time and headache on my part, but it’s completely worth it in the end.
My mom logic teaches me to slow down and enjoy childhood. Pretty soon that little girl in diapers will be asking to borrow your shoes and necklaces. It’s already happening here, and I wonder where the time has gone.
My mom logic makes me do things and say things that I never would have thought to do or say before.
My mom logic reminds me that I wouldn’t want things any other way than the way they are right now. I have been so blessed.
This post was inspired by the Mother of All Bloggers contest, sponsored by Momlogic and Mom Bloggers Club. I was nominated for the MOAB contest (for which the grand prize is a brand new laptop and blog design). I will know shortly if my blog made the top 10, and if so I will be back to beg everyone to vote for me (not yet). Cross your fingers for me–I’m up against some crazy good blogging moms!
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