The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Mothers' Waiting Game

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher

10 May 2000

Mother's Day is almost here, and we find May is a typical busy month for most of us mothers.

As school activities and our family keep us busy we are in high demand, but not exactly the way we wish it were.

The demands made upon mothers are many and continuous.

Keeping up is many times impossible and can leave us feeling like the failure of the family instead of in the "Mother of the Year" category.

Especially this is true if you have screaming little ones at your feet daily.

Many times we feel like we are the worst mother as we search for answers to problems that really have no answers.

Although, my children are almost all grown, I recall those "good-ole-days" very vividly.

I would clean the house. They would mess it up.

I would clean the kitchen. They would come in for a snack with dirty shoes.

I would dress the toddlers up to go shopping, and then try to keep them from weaving in and out of the clothes at the department store, wondering why I ever went with them in the first place.

And of course, there are those embarrassing moments when you must take your children to a public event such as a young mother did Monday afternoon at the ballgame, and your child decides to act up throughout the whole game.

All mothers may not admit it, but they have all been there. We are a determined lot, but we've often felt as qualified for the job of mothering as we would feel qualified to paint the Sistine Chapel.

How could we possibly be honored on Mother's Day when most of our words to our kids are "No"?

How can we feel deserving of a night out when we can't keep up with the dirty dishes, the dirty laundry, the dirty floor, or the dirty faces that keep peeking around the corner at us after getting into some mischief.

As moms in the 21st century, we are acting like our kids. We are expecting instant gratification, much like our kids expect suppers to be as quick in the making as McDonalds'.

God has a plan for mothers and for their kids but it takes time.

It takes pain, disappointments, trials and errors to make a family strong. And these are the things that make Mothers so very special.

No matter what, our moms stick by our sides, for who else could constantly love and care for another through sickness, tantrums, and spilled milks.

Mothers are not honored because they are perfect. They are honored because they love their children, they forgive their children, and through thick and thin they continue to believe in them.

The things that we learn well, take time. Eventually, we learn the tantrums and the dirty faces fade away, but what remains is a grown adult who will always cherish his mother.