Miscellaneous thoughts on Motherhood

*I was updating my profile on my blog today. Apparently I was an Accountant from Afghanistan. Having selected neither an industry nor a location, I got stuck with the initial “A” choices. I’ve always liked to label my occupation as “Human Development Specialist” (Amy, you’ll appreciate this, since we were both once “Career Development Specialists”!), but I wasn’t quite certain what to put down for my industry. I finally settled on “Non-Profit”.

*Big J had the day off school so that those of you who are citizens in this country could vote. She was sick, but also quite enjoyed a nice day at home. She was discussing with Mr. Man how much she would enjoy staying at home and being “homeschooled” every day! He assured her it would be nothing like the “playing ALL DAY” that she imagined, and that he would be teaching her Math every moment. I then piped up asking her what she thought I would be teaching her (Mr. Man was once a Math major, while I was an English major). Big J confidently replied “I guess Mommy will teach me how to clean and take care of kids.” I have mixed emotions on that one, that’s for sure!

*I was reading a favourite blog and was once again reminded of the fabulous, though somewhat controversial talk given by Julie Beck last month at our LDS General Conference. Several of you have already commented on it… very eloquently too. Here's the quote I read today that made me think: "Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. That is influence, that is power." My thought is short. I feel very strongly that that the children of mothers who know, also know and they know that their mothers know. I think that the effort it takes to get to that point of balance in our lives is entirely worth it, just for them to know that I know.

*I was at the library this morning rocking my baby and reading to my two eldest. After a while we journeyed into the preschool exploration room. I sat and chatted with a friend who happened to be there while playing a memory game with my son and eating all the strange varieties of meals my daughter was creating in the play kitchen. While doing so, my friend had to constantly chase her young boys who would attempt to escape the confines of the room, try to take toys from other children and even sit down on another mother’s lap. I watched her and I remembered. I used to be her. I feel like a whole era of motherhood has passed by, and yet as I watched my sleeping baby, I know I also get to do it all over again. While in “the room” helping my son build a fort out of huge blocks, a librarian entered and announced the start of a storytime in a nearby room. More memories flooded back. I asked my friend if she would be taking her young boys to the storytime and she gave me a look I know I’d had before; the look of “are you kidding me? I’d rather die!” Storytimes were tricky when Big J was little and I was adamant that she learn to sit still and listen. Eventually, after numerous embarrassing moments and countless tears (from both of us) I decided that library storytime was hazardous to both of our health. I did attempt again when the boys were young, and I seem to recall only the disasters that resulted. At this point in my motherhood, I looked at my “grown” children and knew a storytime would be easy. So I offered an invitation, which they quickly denied. So that’s what I’ve raised, I suppose. But you know, we came home and snuggled together and read for over an hour, and I’m fine with that.