Greatest Compliment

To me, one of the greatest compliments I can get, is when a stranger stops while we are eating out to compliment me on how well behaved my children are. This actually happens to us pretty frequently, but it never grows old!

A couple of weeks ago, an elder couple comes up to us while we were eating at a Mexican restaraunt. I was feeding Andrew his dinner and was actually quite irritated about the way the boys were behaving. They were not running around or anything, just being a little noisier than I would have liked. It had been a long, stressful day/week and I was just a little sensitive to the boys behavior. I don't like to disturb the other guest trying to enjoy their meal.

The lady approached our table and asked if all four boys were mine. I said they were. She told us we had done a great job raising the boys and said she was impressed with how well behaved they were and how they all just came in, sat down and started coloring their sheets. Then she said they were all very handsome and talked to Andrew a little (who can resist is ever-present smile?). The gentlemen just gave us a big smile and said "All I can say is God bless you!!"

This usually happens at the most needed time for me. I was thinking that the kids were disrupting other people and I was getting frustrated, but someone else thought they were being so well behaved and actually took a second to stop and tell us that. When I am the most exhausted and sensitive to what the kids are doing and their volume, someone takes the time to tell me I am doing a good job. It gives me the lift I need to realize that I AM doing a good job and too keep going.

This is, after all, my chosen profession! Everyone likes to hear how great their work is - my children ARE my work. Most people don't see raising kids as a profession, but when I was growing up, anytime I was asked the question "What do you want to be when you grow up" my first answer was a mother, but if I had to have a "profession" it would be a teacher (about the closest profession to being mother, I think).

As I have grown and become a mother, I have learned that this IS a profession. It is a lifelong commitment. I can't change jobs when I get tired of my boss(es). I can't ask for a raise. I don't get sick time, personal time or vacation time. I don't get reimbursed for travel or paid for travel time (even though I feel like I LIVE in my car). If I feel unappreciated for all of my hardwork - I have to get past it. I have to know that my reward comes when I have (hopefully) raised loving, intelligent men. I will not even get into listing all the "professions" I have to be able to do to be a mother!

I am lucky to be able to stay home with my children - not everyone can do that. This was something that was very important to both Paul and I, before we ever had children.

As difficult as this job can be sometimes, I would not ask for any other job. I am right where I want to be. Though it would be nice to have a vacation or to call in sick, I know that when I can take vacation and call in sick (when my kids are grown and gone)- I will long to be right back where I am - spending time with my little boys. When life gets crazy - which it frequently does with a large family - I just have to remind myself of how fast they are growing up.

Thank you God for the gift of my children and thank you Sweetie for the gift of getting to stay home to raise them!