“Man, it must be really tiring to be a mom.”
My daughter wasn’t wrong. She observed me taking my 100th trip up the stairs to her little brother’s room and back down again to put his dishes in the sink and wash my hands – again. All the while, he was already crying again about wanting to feel better, what hurt, the next thing he needed, and on and on.
My daughter was also sick and her “area” was the living room couch, an excellent vantage point of all I did for her and her brother when they weren’t feeling well, of course this time simultaneously. She had never been so keenly aware of everything that went in to caring for sick children, because she was usually in her room, alone.
But, this time, they were sick at the same time and there is only one DVD player to go around, so she got lucky and was allowed to use the living room couch and TV, while her brother used the DVD player in his room (anything to get them to sit still and rest, amiright?). She’d never realized before all the cleaning, sanitizing, washing hands, preparing food, cleaning dishes, washing hands, laundry, up and down… did I mention washing hands?
Being able to observe from the living room gave my little girl a whole new view of my role and a whole new appreciation for the care and concern I pour into our family, especially when they are ill. And this was just one day! What else had she never noticed? How much more was I busily scurrying around trying to keep the family running when everyone was healthy and the schedules were full? Sound familiar?
If you’re a mom, my guess is yes! This situation is all too familiar and has played out more than any of us could count. I don’t know a mom who hasn’t at some point (if not many points) felt invisible. Moms give so much of ourselves to our families and are noticed so little, but we never think twice about it because that’s what we’re here for.
Every family situation might look different, and exactly what keeps each mom scurrying around may vary greatly, but we all understand the struggle. The struggle to balance our family’s needs, while at the same time trying to keep ourselves healthy or pursue passions or, heaven forbid, have some down time just to recharge.
It’s a good feeling when a child (or partner) is given the chance to see, really see, what we do for them. But, if you’re in one of those hard seasons where it seems no one has noticed any of it, I want you to know that I see you, mama.
I see you, the mama who…
… got all the registrations for all the things in and paid on time so everyone could participate, even if they haven’t said thank you.
…spent all her “free time” running errands and getting groceries to meet her family’s needs and had no time left for herself.
…made and attended all the appointments – doctor, dentist, orthodontist, conferences.
…did all the laundry and meal prep during her daytime or weekend “downtime” so the evenings could go smoothly.
…needed to sit in her car with a coffee just to get some quiet.
…doled out all the meds, cleaned all the rooms, washed all the sheets, changed the movie, prepped and delivered food to different rooms in the house when everyone caught “it.”
Sometimes, we could just use a high five and a reminder that we’re not invisible, that everything we did was seen and important. If you’re like me, we also need to know we aren’t the only ones in need of a little grace (or a lot!) sometimes, because goodness knows, moving around at that rate, juggling so many responsibilities, we’re bound to mess up or get it wrong occasionally (and isn’t THAT when our people seem to notice?!).
But I see you, mama.
I see all the tireless, good, hard work you put in. High five! That work is valuable and priceless and remember — there is more than enough grace to cover all the missteps along the way, too.
