If Mama Ain't Happy...

We all know that home is home because of mom. Now, don't get me wrong Dads are important and they play a crucial role, but let's face it...."if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

Here is my salute to mothers everywhere on this, their very special day. By the way, whoever came up with Mother's Day was one smart kid. (Doesn't matter if they were an adult when they came up with it....still someone's little boy or girl.)

YOUNG MOTHERS A.K.A Newbies----Phase 1
* I never knew I could get this big and not pop.
* My back hurts, my ankles are swelling and I have to either throw up or pee ALL THE TIME.
* My husband tells me I look beautiful...and that I have a glow about me....he BETTER say that or I might hurt him.
* The baby comes and the red faced, crying wrinkled package they place in my arms is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. My heart grows two sizes that day.
* I learn how to nurse and not choke the baby in the process, I get the whole burping thing down pat, I can change a poopy diaper in 60 seconds flat, and rocking has become one of my favorite past times.
* I've also learned that God blesses moms with supersonic bat-like hearing. We can pick up even the slightest noises of distress, even waking up out of a sound sleep to help our children. This sense gets even more honed as the years progress.
* TIME IS PRECIOUS

Toddler/Preschooler Moms A.K.A To Fast To Furious --Phase 2
* Toddler moms are fast. They have to be. They are constantly catching their kiddos BEFORE they get into something.
* I learned to answer lots of questions about EVERYTHING. I learned why the grass is green. What God looks like, and why eating hard boiled (Easter eggs) with the shell ON is not a good idea.
* This is the stage of sticky fingers, big smiles, sloppy kisses, and lots of I love you's. Good stuff.
* Keep every picture drawn, every hand print traced, every painting or doodle. This is the stuff that I look back at and wonder where the time went???
* TIME IS PRECIOUS

The School Years A.K.A The Taxi Cab ----Phase 3
* Between sports, church, social activities mom becomes the queen of the GPS. She knows all the short cuts to get to soccer practice on time, volunteers in her child's Sunday School class, and buys "extra" birthday presents while they are on sale so she'll have some in her stash for all the birthday parties that will be attended in a 3 month period.
* I learned to be the scheduling queen. Any mom worth her weight knows her way around a date book, kitchen calendar, PDA, or Google calendar. Keeping everyone and everything on track is a full time job in itself.
* Moms are the biggest cheerleaders and can yell just as loudly as any man when cheering for their child from the sidelines.
* I learned how to use a video camera so well, that it would have even put the best TV news crew to shame.
* I got very comfortable with saying, "Did you brush?", "No, you can't drink caffeine at night", and the all time favorite, " I'm not so and so's mom, I'm YOUR mom. I don't care what everyone else is doing."
* TIME IS PRECIOUS.

THE TEEN YEARS A.K.A Puberty Monsters ---Phase 4
* These are the years of confusion. I wondered where my "real" child went and who is this crazy teenager that was dropped in his place?
* My sons are much taller than I am.
* All three kids started smelling rank. Hormones begin running amok.
* Teenagers think they know everything and are at the age they like to tell you this. This is the time when mom's get told they don't "get it", or "maybe that is how they did things back in the day." Hang tough! Teenagers think they are grown up...but they are not. They still need you.
* I learned how to stand firm even when it would be easier to give in.
* I have been known to have the demeanor of a drill Sargent and yet still act as goofy as they are.
* Real life questions are asked and sometimes I'm forced to admit I don't know all the answers.
* Having teens makes me think about how I was as a teenager. I try to be empathetic.
* It's okay to say NO.
* It's okay to have fun.
* TIME IS PRECIOUS.

THE GROWN UP YEARS A.K.A I GET IT NOW ---Phase 5
* My kids aren't in the grown up years yet, so I can only speak from my own experience as a grown up.
* Your parents become very smart when you have kids of your own.
* Grown up kids can appreciate all their parents did for them.
* It's good to remind your parents how much you love them. It doesn't matter how old a mom gets...or how old her kids get. They are still her kids and "I love you" NEVER gets old.
*TIME IS PRECIOUS.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Whether you are a birth mother, adoptive mother, step mother, or a special aunt, or friend....regardless of whether you have children of your own or just have a mom's heart you are appreciated and loved.

Proverbs 31:28 "Her children rise up and call her blessed....."