Playing Baby Dolls.....it gives me hope

I love being a mom. I love, almost, every thing about it. Sometimes I think I'm not very good at it. I once told my husband (in a, ahem, "discussion" we were having) that I go to bed every night and wonder if I did "enough". Did I spend enough time with the kids? Did I do enough to create new business to help with the family income? How did I do as a wife? Did my kids end the day with a feeling of happiness and love in their hearts? That last one is what is really important to me.

Sydney has always "played baby dolls". She loves playing mommy. It's been very entertaining to watch how her play has changed over the last few years. When she was 2 or 3 her play was almost always "mommy and babies" now it has transformed to "teacher and students" I was able to watch an older video of her the other night and while many of her mannerisms are exactly the same she's changed so much in just a couple of years. In the last few months she has taught her baby sister how to play baby dolls. It's currently one of Harper's favorite things to do. You can count on hearing this request numerous times a day: "mommy wanna pay babies?"

Whenever I begin to doubt my performance as a mommy I watch my kids play babies. There is a lot of holding, rocking, kissing and hugging. Lots of "shhh, it's otay sweet baby" and "wan some milt?" (milk). There is the occasional "No banging on the door, no milt in da night, go to seep cazy baby!" (I'm not sure that I have ever called her crazy baby as a derogatory remark - it was in jest, I promise). But all in all, my kids show nothing but love and respect to their babies. It is my hope and prayer that they are learning this from their dad and me and that this is an illustration of how they will interact with their own children.

God, thank you for allowing me to be a mommy. Thank you for three of the most precious children on the planet that I call my own. Thank you for a most amazing husband - I would not want to go on this journey alone, that is for sure. Help me to continue to show my children the love and respect they deserve and when I think I haven't done "enough", help me to see it through their eyes. Thank you, Lord, for showing me how to "play babies" and for showing me that my children are listening, learning and soaking it all in. And help me always to remember that these precious lives are a gift from you and that my job is nothing more than to teach them your love, your message and your salvation.

Amen