Dear Me,
You are a mother to two small humans. They take up every hour, every minute, every second of your day life. There has never been, nor will there be, a single moment when you aren't their mother. Even before they were conceived, before you even thought of their existence, you were their mother. They've never had another and they never will. No one else's womb will grow them, no one else's heart will hold them the way yours does.
When you put them to bed, you are still their mother. You do not ever "clock out" of being mama. Even as you close your eyes to go to sleep, the mom in you is still awake, waiting to hear them cry out for you in the middle of the night from their bed so your body can wake up and go rock them back to dreamland. When you leave them with a sitter, you do not stop being their mother. They still consume your thoughts as you wonder what they're doing right now, as you hear their laugh in your mind, as you picture their silly grin... and suddenly your heart aches because you miss them so much even though it's only been 3 minutes since you hugged them goodbye.
You don't ever take off your mom hat and pass it to anyone else. Even when they're physically in someone else's care, you remain mama, the one who loves them the most. They only have one mama and that's you. God chose you to be the one mother those children have for the rest of their life.
You will make mistakes. You will raise your voice, you will get impatient, you will feel like a failure. Your children may not always like you. They may even tell you that. That will sting the first time you hear it. You'll be okay.
Remember that you are also a wife. You have a husband who has been given to you by God. You are raising his children, too. Remember to respect him even when your children have been disrespectful all day. Remember to love him and honor him even when you feel unappreciated & unloved after the day you've had at home with your kids.
Remember who you are in Christ. Remember you are appreciated and you are loved. Remember that you are fulfilling the highest calling. Being a mother is the hardest thing you'll ever do. It's also the most rewarding, even when it doesn't feel like it.
The most important thing you do in life may be raising your child. You may be raising the next Billy Graham or Einstein. You are raising someone's future spouse. You are raising someone's future employee, student, friend, maybe even boss. Don't take your job lightly. If the God of the universe saw it fit to appoint to you the highest calling of being the mother to His child, you must be pretty special. You're sure lucky.
You're doing a good job. When you feel overwhelmed and whisper the name of Jesus because you don't know what else to do, He smiles at you. He wants to give you patience, peace, wisdom, satisfaction... remember to ask for it daily.
Remember to cut yourself some slack. You aren't perfect. Don't sweat the small stuff. You're just raising a human being, you know. The first 5 years of their life can shape how they live the rest of it. No big deal, right?
You are mama... and you're the only one they've got. So tell them "yes" more often than not, let them make messes, show them tough love, teach them what they need to know, let them learn things on their own, tell them you love them, cuddle them tight & give extra kisses at bedtime. Trust the motherly instinct that God gave you and don't forget to thank Him each day for entrusting them to your care.
