Be brave mama!

I stood there, sobbing, gripping the washer and wishing I were anywhere but in the immediate moment – smack dab in the middle of motherhood. In the midst of my tears, I was, for a millisecond, somewhere else enjoying a glass of wine after work with my girlfriends. A small voice brought me back to reality. “Mama (pause), you okay, mama. You okay.” There he was, my two-and-a-half year old son standing on the open dryer door comforting me after my most recent breakdown.

It was in the afternoon of an extremely trying day of activities, coupled with the trials of potty training and going on a second week of the no-nap transition; needless to say, mama’s nerves were shot. He was “helping” me transfer a load of clothes from the washer to the dryer – socks and my nursing bras. As he was “helping,” he snagged a nursing bra from the dryer. He placed one arm through the arm hole; the other arm through the boob hole. All I could do was watch – I didn’t say a word. He seemed so proud of his accomplishment. “I’m a mommy!” he exclaimed. “I’m a mommy!” That was the moment I lost it. In that instant, all the tribulations I experienced that day with my son and three-month old daughter disappeared as I thought, “I hope you do become a daddy someday.”

I turned to him, scooped him into my arms and said, “Give me a big squeeze.” He did, and it was a big squeeze, indeed. I said to him, “I love you so much, son!” He just smiled and squirmed. The moment was over, and he was ready to play.

On a regular basis, I’m moved to tears because of my children – tears of joy and tears of frustration. And, in those moments, I realize the emotion God must feel for us as our Heavenly Father. There are times we disobey his will for us. We veer off the path, we go our own way, and fail. His heart breaks. Then, just as quickly as we cause disappointment, we make His heart happy through our obedience.

Being a mother requires a terrific amount of patience, understanding, care and love. These same feelings we have for our children, our Heavenly Father has for us. In these trying moments, I can’t help but recall our MOPs (Mothers of Preeschoolers) Bible verse for this year from Psalm 91:4, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Guiding these little humans along the path God has planned for them is challenging. As I think about the 2014-15 MOPs theme, “Be You Bravely,” I can’t help but think even in moments of weakness, we are strong. To be the stay-at-home mother God intended us to be for our children takes bravery. To show our children the raw emotions of the day takes bravery. To discipline our children and guide them accordingly takes bravery. To teach them and nurture them takes bravery. You are the best mother for your children. So keep on being YOU – that unique and ever special spirit God made you to be. And live your life, bravely!