Heavenly Homemakers

A few weeks ago, I got this email from Jessica:

My husband and I have been married for about 2 1/2 years. We had always planned to wait about 2 years to have babies, but as time has gone by I have felt less and less ready to be preggo. I feel like the world has SO many negative things to say about having kids… “Have all the fun now because once babies come life is over…” etc. I know that the Bible says that children are a blessing from God but honestly sometimes I look at my friends with babies and I think, “Honey, you don’t look blessed, you look haggard and tired”.

I know that since the Bible says that children are a blessing that it MUST be true… and I’m SO sick of hearing about all the negative things about babies that the world is constantly screaming about…. what can you tell me about the blessing of children? Do the blessings really outweigh the burdens, the sleepless nights, the vomit, the poopy diapers, the carrying of the diaper bag everywhere you go…???? Why are kids a blessing? HELP ME! I know that I want to be a mom, but I think that the only thing that freaks me out is the thought of taking care of a sick child. I know that stupid… but its a fear, for real.

Funny, isn’t it…how we moms can often talk out of both sides of our mouth? (I love picturing someone actually doing that. Talk about multi-tasking.)

We say, “Oh I LOVE my children and they are the best thing that’s ever happened to me and my life is so much richer because of them.” At the very same time, we complain about how many times they got us up at night and how much puke there is to clean up and how much money they cost us and how we never have any time to ourselves and how the laundry never ends and how they never eat the food we put in front of them because they’re so picky, or simply too busy putting the food up their noses instead.

So, which is it? Is having children a blessing, or is it a huge inconvenience? Is it delightful, or is it exhausting? Is it fantastic, or is it frustrating?

My answer to each of these questions is…yes, absolutely.

Having children? It’s hard. It’s exhausting. It’s frustrating. It’s a job that never, ever ends.

But while there are times you feel like throwing in the towel (or throwing the towel at one of them)…you love your children so much that deep down you really don’t even mind the puke and the poop and the fact that both have been finger painted onto the headboard of their bed.

In fact, you chuckle, take a picture of the art work to show at their wedding rehearsal someday…then start crying (and gagging) while you scrub it all up.

There are SO MANY THINGS about parenting that are difficult and I can easily describe every one of them to you.

But it is practically impossible to put into words what an incredible blessing they are. I don’t think there have been words invented to describe the emotions you feel when you’re rocking your snuggly little one and their hair smells so sweet you just can’t stop breathing it in and stroking it.

Or how amazing it feels to read a book together or laugh with each other over how he slipped and fell outside and got snow in his pants.

Or when he says “mama” for the first time. Or just got out of the tub and has on warm footy pajamas and crawls up into your lap for kisses. Or when your big kid comes up to you and gives you a back rub. Or when you hear your child pray.

There are no words to describe it.

Are children a blessing?

I’d be happy to tell you just how much of a blessing.

If only I had the words.