To all you wonderful mothers who don't get enough sleep,

What part of this mother job do you like best?
Alright, go through the list of the NOT best, just to vent.
Tantrums, noise, mess, exhaustion... You mean you can love it on top of all that???

The Real Part

Rocking a baby girl on the veranda in the sunshine

Tackling 3 little boys at once making sandwiches with the pillows- one pillow on the bottom as the bread, one little boy as the ham, another pulled on top of him as the cheese, another -quick catch him- as the lettuce, one more pillow on the top... Squish it down -lots of laughing and protesting.

Holding a small hand as he falls asleep.

Letting a frightened child climb between the sheets to recover from a nightmare- warming up cold toes.

Listening to many childish voices all talking at once, and holding the hand of one to let him know his turn will come, while giving attention to the others.

Breast feeding a new baby while keeping the two year old happy, busy, distracted with not a hint of "I wish you'd go away and leave us in peace"

Sitting in a circle telling stories with every wide eye fixed on you.

Sternly, kindly sitting a child on a chair -all the while he knows you love him like crazy.  (See Teaching Children Obedience Part 2)

Comforting little girls in the middle of a 'crying party', trying to hide your giggles.

Carefully letting her win the UNO game without suspecting.

Bedtime stories

Washing grubby, beautiful faces and hands, dressing your pretty girls, doing hairstyles.

Cleaning blood from your little boy's knees- cheeks and ears rosy from hard play.

This is the real part of mothering.

Not the dishes, beds, laundry, errands, shopping and on and on (I call it chaos control- more on that later)

Necessary -yes.  Important -no.

The trick is to figure out ways to do the necessary things (so, so many of them) without neglecting the important part.
It's necessary to do some laundry, but its important to lay on the grass with her and watch ants.  It's necessary to clean-up, but it's important to watch him do his new trick for you 38 times.
On THOSE days, try an attitude adjustment, as you look at your day and the long list of things to do - see THAT as the interruption to the real part of mothering.  Morning cuddles are WAY more important than routines. As if we all had maids and cooks  and gardeners.  But not nannies.  You get to do that  - the best, best part.

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-Lisa