Stay at home Moms sometimes get a lot of flak. But, as latter-day saint women, we know the importance of staying home, and fulfilling that righteous calling. But, sometimes, let’s be honest here, it doesn’t always feel so righteous. It feels like a struggle between survival and work. Lots of work.
I saw an article in the Washington Post recently where a woman wrote in to a columnist, and wondered about her friends that were stay at home Moms. She wanted to know what they did all day, and why her friend couldn’t simply return a phone call once in a while. She wanted an explanation of what these women do all day that is so time consuming. Crazy right?
The response was great. I’ve read it several times, shared it on facebook, and even read it to my husband. My favorite part was probably after listing many tasks that stay at home Moms do all day, she said this:
“It’s doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything — language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.”
When you read the article, it can make you feel justified as a stay at home Mom, but it also makes me feel a little tired. Exhausted, actually. To think of all that responsibility I have.
While sitting in church on Sunday, I was thinking about that article again while juggling keeping my two whiny children quiet, which is becoming a more difficult battle every week. And, a thought came to me:
Heavenly Father is my Father. I am His child, and He is responsible for looking after me. He is responsible for helping me learn what I need to in this life.
Does He ever look down at us exhausted and think, “I just don’t have time for this again. Meredith is making the same mistake she has made over and over and over. How many times do I have to teach her this same lesson?” Does He ever want to ditch His responsibilities as our Father in Heaven? Sure, we make a lot of mistakes in this life, but it doesn’t ever making Him throw His hands up and say, “I’m done.”
This is not meant to make us feel guilty. Instead, I hope it does for you what it did for me yesterday as I was thinking about it in church. It made me feel loved. It made me feel like, if He can put up with ME, then I can surely put up with my kids and be the best mom I can be. We are His children, and while we have a lot to learn, just like our own kids do, He is always there. Always listening. Always waiting for us to ask for help. And, He will never fail us. No matter how many times we fail Him.
Related Articles:
Is the Mormon Stay At Home Mom Happy?