It's all about the attitude

Tonight I caught throw-up in my hands. It was yellow and slimy and surprisingly difficult to wash off. It was pretty disgusting, but at the same time, beautiful.

Yeah, that's right. Catching my 1 year old daughter's puke was a beautiful moment. Why? Because it's a moment that reminds me that my little girl is the most precious thing I have, that I would do anything for her, even things I would never imagine doing before for anyone else. Like placing my hands under her chin at the moment I realized she was gonna hurl. I didn't even have to think about it...of course I would hold her vomit. I'm a mom. That's what we do. We catch throw-up, we dig out boogers, we kiss slobbery open mouths. We get poo on our hands.

Seriously, I think my life as a mom revolves around messes. If it's not the food thrown all over the floor, it's the wad of paper she managed to rip into a million shreds.

Sometimes, I want to call it quits. On the bad days, I look at my life and all I see is a woman who rarely puts on make up or actual pants, who is a prisoner in her own home with her child as acting prison guard. And on those bad days, I just want to go back to being a free girl with little responsibilities and her Saturdays all to herself.

And it's okay. We're all entitled to our pity parties, to our bad days.

Because there's also the good days.

Like the mornings when Savannah wakes up and I go into her room to find her bouncing all over the crib, giving me that mischievous little smile that I know she must have gotten from me (Oh please help me).

Or how lately she loves sitting on my lap...I don't know why but I just LOVE that she does this. There's nothing that can make you feel more special than the love of your child.

I know that I am her favorite person. I know that she trusts me completely, that she loves me unconditionally, and that she thrives off of every bit of attention that I give her.

I read a blog post today where a husband announced that his wife's job of being a mother is harder than his job at a law firm. While I appreciated the consideration towards mothers, I think that we have to move past this need to feel that we somehow work harder, or our lives are more difficult. Because honestly, I wouldn't trade places with my husband...okay, maybe for a day or two...

Being a mom isn't "hard", it's joyous. It's wild. It's messy, unpredictable, frustrating. It's beautiful.

And while sometimes I want to think that my job is harder than my husbands, I have to really dig deep and accept that it isn't. We simply play different roles, both working to make all of the gears shift correctly, neither of us better or more important than the other.


What I'm learning: The difference between happiness and depression is attitude. Bryce goes to work with a smile on his face (literally) and comes home with that same smile. He never complains, even when he's spent all day in the rain digging a hole, water in his boots, blisters on his hands. Instead he laughs as he tells me how warm the water in that hole was. He is such an example to me, and I'm trying to be more positive when it comes to the "holes" I have to dig each day. I would never degrade his efforts and perseverance by saying that my job is harder.

Heck, I spend every day with the most beautiful face in the world.

If we, as mothers, manage to have the same attitude my husband has, finding the good in the daily chores, the dirty diapers, and the mountains of laundry, not only will we be happier, but our home will be a safer, more loving place.

So bring on the puke! I don't mind getting my hands a little dirty... it just means that I'm MOM. And what better and more prestigious title can you have?

Why the World Needs Moms

Dear Amy Glass:

It was pretty sad to read your article criticizing the role of motherhood as well as wifehood.

I Look Down on Young Women with Husbands and Kids and I'm Not Sorry

I just have a few things to say to you in response:

** Feminism isn't about degrading a woman for choosing a traditional lifestyle. The purpose of feminism isn't to tell women what they can't or shouldn't do, but to give them the same opportunities as any other person.

** Because I'm positive you don't have children, let me share with you something every mother quickly learns: Motherhood IS work. The only difference between me and you is that I can't reason with my boss, because she's one years old. Not only do I have to figure out what she needs/wants every second of the day, but if I don't get it right, I have to deal with screaming, kicking, yelling, throwing, and tears. I clean one mess up only to be confronted with another. I spend hours researching how to be better at my job because if I fail in my job as a mother, I am responsible for the outcome. I am responsible for raising a human being to be a productive, loving, kind, charitable, thoughtful individual. The worst thing that can happen to you is you get fired. I actually have another person's life literally in my hands. Now, please tell me that a stay-at-home mom is "not on equal footing" with "a woman who works."

** You really don't see marriage and having a baby as a life milestone?? You say it's "the most common thing." If by common you mean that most women are capable of creating human life, then yes, you are right. But if by common you mean insignificant, you are so so wrong. I don't know anything less significant than the experience of having someone give his whole self to you, and you to him, or the first time you feel your child kick inside of you and you realize that there is actually a tiny person in there, or the moment when they finally place that precious baby in your arms and all those hours of the most horrible pain you have ever felt becomes lost in the background of her beautiful blue eyes. You have your whole life to get your dream job or backpack across Europe, but only a short window of opportunity to experience the joys of childbirth, the laughter of your children, and the pride that comes from knowing that YOU did this, that you sacrificed so much, so willingly. Having children isn't "nothing", but everything.

** You say that a woman who is married with children can't get her "dream job" or travel or achieve any of her dreams. In my opinion, you are completely ignorant. My sister has an amazing job that she loves...and guess what, she's married and has an adorable little boy. It doesn't have to be one or the other, and not every dream involves elaborate trips or high paying careers. Why do you feel like women must choose between working and motherhood?? It is people like you who pit working moms against SAH moms. We are all the same, just trying to enjoy life and do what is best for our families and ourselves.

** I just have to wonder what the world would be like if every mother/father just up and decided to stop doing housework. I hate housework, personally. I get so sick of cleaning up the same messes day after day after day. But I do it, because someone's got to! And I've got to laugh because I'm pretty sure that even doctors have to get their laundry done at some point. Dang...I guess even when you go to medical school your clothes don't magically clean themselves. (sigh)

** Men DO think managing the household is important. I know my husband loves to come home to a clean house and a yummy dinner, especially after a hard day out in the cold working his butt off. I just don't get your argument. Someone's got to take care of the home, feed the children, and manage to be awesome the entire time....so who's going to do it if it isn't mom and dad? Maybe you could explain to us all how you manage to keep the house clean??

** Almost every single one of those doctors, engineers, and business people have a mother who loved them, taught them, cared for them, washed their clothes, and supported them to reach their dreams.

So the next time you write an article (which anyone can do by the way....it's completely "ordinary") try not to talk about things that you have absolutely no experience with. Because, quite frankly, it makes you look utterly ridiculous. I'm here to say that the world NEEDS moms, and I applaud every single woman who has sacrificed to become one, because trust me, you always sacrifice something when it comes to being a parent. Motherhood is the ultimate form of selflessness, which obviously you know nothing about.