Just a mom

The following is from a MOPS international email and I think it sums up my job but also my priviledge of being "just a Mom" at home everyday coming up of new ways to teach my children our family values while they discover the world around them through activities and just plain curiousity.

Just a Mom
By Rhonda Headley, Council Coordinator
"During my youth in the 80's, I recall Nancy Reagan's anti-drug slogan, "Just say no." Well, if you've ever been or known someone addicted to drugs or alcohol, you know just saying no is no small feat. The intoxicating power of drugs and the stronghold of peer pressure are difficult to break. Then there's the Nike shoe commercial campaign of "Just do it." If you're an athlete, accomplishment in your sport doesn't just happen. Hard work, discipline and often overcoming mental challenges and physical injuries are ingredients to athletic success.Now think back to your dating years. Is there a girl out there who hasn't heard the heart-wrenching words, "Let's just be friends?" Fast forward to your mommy years. How often have you heard, "Just a minute," uttered from your kids? Their definition of a minute and yours are totally different... there's no just about it. You're bound to have to repeat your request or say it louder to get your point across. So imagine my surprise the other day when I was answering an e-mail from an old college friend with whom I've recently reconnected. When he inquired about what I've been up to lately, I almost found myself typing, "Just busy being a mom." As if being a mom is a less important vocation than his own, or a sheer drudgery, or beneath me. It saddens and sometimes infuriates me when I hear women describe themselves as "Just a mom." I admit motherhood can be lonely, far from glamorous, stressful, exhausting and plain hard sometimes. But it's never unrewarding. The hugs and kisses we get from our children are sheer bliss, and that's just the beginning of our rewards. There's nothing just about being a mom!
Prayer From a Mother's HeartDear God, thank you for the privilege of being a mom - help me to instill in my child that there is nothing little about the responsibilities and joys of parenthood."