I said last week that I'd do this week's Tuesday Top Ten, and this is the topic for this week due to Mother's Day. So, on to the top ten best things about being a mother...
1. Cuddling. From the time I first snuggled Devon and Kaylee under my chin and could hear them breathe, feel their heart beating, smell them...it's addictive. Kaylee is getting so big now that she hangs off of my lap, she can't curl up on me like she used to; she's outgrowing me. But sometimes she'll still sneak in our room after 6 a.m. and wrap her arms around me, and you can tell she feels safe and loved. Funny-so do I. :)
2. Kisses. From sticky and sloppy but heartfelt through to the kiss she lightly planted on my cheek when she thought I was asleep and didn't want to wake me up but couldn't stand to leave the room without some form of affection. ;)
3. Laughter. Nothing makes me laugh like kids. Devon's tarzan yell and little games, and Kaylee is just a goofball. She's sarcastic and highly energetic and dramatic and snappy and fearless, and she makes me laugh all the time. When she starts really laughing, belly laughing, I defy anybody around to not laugh with her.
4. Life. She's so full of life, so full of potential. She lives each day at full tilt, she wants to do it all, see it all, understand it all. She enjoys the ballet, tap, cheer, gymnastics and Awanas, and also wants to do horse riding, drums, guitar, jazz, hip hop and swim lessons. And anything else she can think of. She's a pleasure to watch.
5. Innocence. I love seeing the sparkle in her eyes. The happiness, the innocent joy of life. Where the biggest issue weighing on her mind is whether she liked what was in her lunch or if she got as many signatures on the club she started as her friend got on hers. Kids are so real, they just are. They have a sense of right and wrong and justice and they wouldn't think of playing the adult games that everyone else does. Being a part of that innocence is a great benefit of being a mom.
6. Teaching. I know some of those were more about the best things about having kids and not specifically about being a mom, but that's what came to mind so I went with it. But teaching is definitely a good thing about being a mom. Explaining something to your child and watching them soak it up, figure it out, and incorporate it into their brain is a privilege. Kaylee will ask me to define something, explain it, and will try to incorporate examples to make sure she understands. When she gets it, she's satisfied and moves on, and until then she is a dog with a bone, getting more and more irritated until she figures it out--and if you try to give up on explaining it, you're in for a fight. She has stomped her foot at me and said "I WANT TO KNOW!" Good for her. :)
7. Passing It On. I don't know, there's just something kind of amazing about looking into the face of someone else and seeing your own brown eyes and freckles. I just wish I could pass on only the good things. ;)
8. Watching. It's a privilege watching her grow into a tall, beautiful, smart, sweet, loving, generous young lady. Every year she becomes more herself, and I look forward to seeing who that will be. It's a true privilege to be her mom.
9. Legacy. Someone who can remember me when I'm gone. Maybe just a little piece of our own immortality walking around?
10. Second chances. There's something about having kids that I think is God's way of teaching you more lessons. For one thing, everything you used to do that never bothered you, that you never thought was "that bad", you suddenly realize you don't want to see in your child, who is a blank slate waiting to learn what you model. Every bad habit, every character flaw, every personality quirk, if you don't work on it, you see it mirrored in your child's behavior, and it shows you just how unattractive, what a big deal it really is. You also often end up seeing your complete opposite in personality in one of your children, and it makes you have to adapt, learn and understand ways of thinking that could be completely foreign to you. If you are willing, being a mom can make you a better person. More selfless, more understanding, more compassionate, more careful, and wanting to be the person you see reflected back at you from your children's eyes. You want to be what they think you are. You want to live up to them, you want them to be what you could not be, and you want to guide them into being the people they could be. To do that, you have to change yourself, too, because you see quickly that they follow you for good or bad. THAT is a huge responsibility and an amazing thing about being a mom all in one.
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