So, I know I am super late, but…Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all of the mothers! If you are a biological mom, an adoptive mom, a stepmom, a godmom, or a “play” mom, your words of encouragement, strength, value and love will forever be felt long past the grave. Over the weekend, I watched a video by Chrystal Evans Hurst, her mom, Lois Evans and her sister, Priscilla Shirer on how moms should think about motherhood differently. On it, they discussed how if we shift our mindset (and language) from thinking about what we “have to do” as a mom to thinking about what we “get to do” as a mom, it changes our focus when it comes to taking care of our children.
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As moms, we are overwhelmed with EVERYTHING we “have to” get done day in and day out. We have to cook, clean, do homework, do projects, pick up kids, drop off kid, manage the finances, go grocery shopping, do laundry, go to the cleaners and a ton of other things, while still maintaining a full-time job; however, if we look at what we “get to do” it allows us to focus on the memories we get to create with our children. So, I took the liberty to jot down a few things I “get to do” with my kids that brings me joy even if/when I am working hard to “get it done”.
- I get to cook a healthy meal most nights of the week now (I like to cook).
- As a result, we get to eat at the table together and talk about…whatever!
- I get to beat my oldest son at Uno.
- I get to beat my middle son in Speed.
- I get to cheat with my youngest son in Uno and Speed because he’s too young to grasp the concept of either one of the games. BOL. Just joking!
- I get to pick up my kids each day from school and talk about their day on our ride home.
- I get to help them with homework and get the satisfaction of seeing them get good grades because of my efforts, I mean, our collaborative efforts. LOL
- I get to go on the field trips, field-days, class parties and other school activities with them.
- We get to watch movies together and discuss how it relates to life.
- We get to teach them about money.
- I get to sit on the porch and watch them play football outside.
- We get to all make hot chocolate and popcorn together every Christmas Eve while watching a Christmas movie.
- We get to do Bible Study together as a family every Sunday night.
- I get to be the proud mom of three very loving boys.
Although it can be a ton of work and sometimes I can focus on all the things I “have to do”, the aforementioned list is a great reminder of all the things I not only “get to do” but I love to do. I love the fact that I get to create memories that the boys will not only share with their children, but they will hopefully “get to do” with their kids as well. Yes, I know it may seem like a ton of “have to’s” now, but just think. One day, we will look back over these ridiculously busy years and miss the days we do not get to pack lunches, go to an award’s day or send in yet another class snack for the year-end class celebration. We too, will only have the memory. So, let’s not only create the moments, let’s savor them and turn our “have to” into a “get to”. Thanks, Chrystal Evans Hurst for this timely reminder!
