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My New Kentucky Home

A blog about faith and family, home and homeschooling.

What I Never Pictured Motherhood to Be

May 7, 2015 by My New Kentucky Home

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Think back for just a moment, moms, back to the days before you had children.

Remember everything you envisioned motherhood to be?  You probably had a lovely little collection of mental snapshots all filed away in anticipation of the day you had children of your own.

If you were anything like me, your virtual photo album of motherhood probably contained photos like the following:

 

  • Gently rocking a peacefully sleeping baby.
  • Cuddling on the sofa with a brood of sweet and well-behaved, (and very, very clean,) children.
  • Calmly reading stacks of colorful story books every evening before bed.
  • Walking hand-in-hand through lush forests, seizing upon every possible learning opportunity  as we discuss various points of nature.
  • Planting kisses on scraped knees.
  • Imparting great spiritual wisdom in moments of distress and decision.
  • A spotless, beautifully decorated home.
  • A mom who is patient, loving, and ever-prayerful for her children.

And if you’re anything like me, your photo album likely did not contain any photographs like these:

  • Pacing with a crying baby who refuses to sleep.  Night after night after night….
  • Finding your beautiful collection of children’s books shredded and partially eaten by your toddler.
  • Crayon sketches everywhere but on paper.
  • Chocolate milk handprints all over a freshly mopped floor.
  • Returning from a trip to the park in tears because a journey into nature that took 2 hours to prepare for ended exactly 14 minutes later with one child falling headlong in the mud and another nearly wandering into traffic in the chaos of the cleanup, all while the baby lay screaming bloody murder in his stroller the entire time. 
  • Approximately 3,000,000 Legos in my house.  Everywhere.
  • Spending HOURS in immediate care center waiting rooms.
  • Plunging toilets.  Again.  And Again.  And again.  And again…
  • Suddenly realizing your 6 year old is on his third day in those Superman pajamas.  And not really caring much.
  • Helping with 5th grade word problems that fry your brain.
  • Ugly potty training experiences.
  • The joke-telling stage.
  • Laundry.
  • Laundry.
  • LAUNDRY!  So much of it you find yourself hearkening back to the good ol’ Middle Ages where people wore the same clothes for weeks without washing them!  (Kind of like those Superman pajamas…)
  • Family heirlooms broken by flying action figures.
  • Two-hour searches for missing favorite toys.
  • DREADING the bedtime routine and wishing desperately they would all just collapse in place so you could carry them to bed and be done with it.
  • Hearing your name called 2000 times per day.  AT. LEAST.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I became a mother.  I had no clue how hard it would be or how tired I would feel at the end of every day.

But I also had no idea how blessed I would feel.  I had no clue it was even possible to love a little person so much, or to feel such joy in their every achievement.

I never knew hugs could be so warm and wonderful, or that, at day’s end, something so simple as, “You’re the bestest Mommy,” could sound like music to ears weary of cries and complaints and requests.

I never knew a person could feel the kind of happiness I feel when I see my child delighted.  I never knew that being a mom could make me so complete.

 

There were a lot of things about motherhood I could never have anticipated or prepared for.  But it has been a beautiful journey.More lovely than I ever could have pictured. 

 
————————————–
 
Happy Mother’s Day!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You’ll find this post linked up with some of these wonderful blogs:
 
 
Making Your Home Sing Monday, Mama Moments Monday, The Modest Mom Link Up, Inspiration Monday, The Art of Homemaking, Monday Musings,  Inspire Me Monday,  Living Proverbs 31, Mom 2 Mom Link Up, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Tutorial Tuesday, Inspire Me Tuesday, Homemaking Link-Up, Wise Woman Linkup, The Mommy Club, Thriving Thursday, Thought-Provoking Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Hearts for Home, Think Tank Thursday, All Things Thursday Blog Hop, Proverbs 31 Thursdays, The Homemaking Party, Create-It Thursday, Faith-Filled Friday,  Family Fun Friday,  Weekly Wrap-Up, Show and Tell Friday, Friendship Friday, No Rules Weekend Blog Party, Inspiration Spotlight, Pretty Pintastic, 

 

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Filed Under: Happy Mother's Day, mom, mommy, mother, Mother's Day, Motherhood, parenting, Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Carol B. says

    May 7, 2015 at 1:59 PM

    It is such a blessing and a privilege to be a mother ~ some days it's easier to remember that than others. 😉
    I enjoyed this post so much. Happy Mother's Day!!

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 8, 2015 at 12:11 PM

      Yes, you tend to forget how blessed you are when you're having one of "those" days. But there are always those moments that remind you how you wouldn't trade your job for anything in the world.

      Happy Mother's Day to you as well, Carol!

  2. Jennifer J. Chow says

    May 8, 2015 at 4:44 AM

    Everything is different than what you would imagine it to be, but so very wonderful. Motherhood definitely keeps you humble.

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 8, 2015 at 12:12 PM

      It does indeed! Motherhood is so much harder than I expected, and yet so much more wonderful.

      Thank you for reading, Jennifer!

  3. Heather @ Encouraged at Home says

    May 9, 2015 at 1:22 AM

    This post had me remembering, smiling and nodding agreement. If women knew how hard motherhood is, we might never embark on it, and miss out on the wonderfulness of it. Happy Mother's Day, Tanya!

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 11, 2015 at 12:57 PM

      My grandmother used to say that women are easy to forget, otherwise they would never have more than one child! I think it's the overwhelming love we feel that makes us so forgetful. 🙂 I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day as well, Heather!

  4. Abbi says

    May 9, 2015 at 3:16 AM

    Fun post!

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 11, 2015 at 12:58 PM

      Thanks, Abbi!

  5. The Resourceful Mama says

    May 11, 2015 at 12:51 PM

    You second list made me laugh…so true. I have been finding myself overwhelmed lately by trying to balance everything, but its those moments of bear hugs and rocking and reading that help me get through the days.

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 11, 2015 at 12:59 PM

      It's amazing what a difference a simple hug or an I-love-you-mama can make in our day! So thankful for those moments!

      Thanks for reading!

  6. Iris says

    May 12, 2015 at 3:59 PM

    Not a mom but a teacher. Really great post!

    Stopping by from Titus 2sday

    Iris♥

    The Blue Birdhouse
    Feminine Modesty

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 15, 2015 at 1:11 PM

      No doubt many aspiring teachers picture their job very differently from the way it turns out! But there are precious moments, too, that make it all worth it.

      Thanks for reading, Iris!

  7. Stacey says

    May 13, 2015 at 5:52 PM

    I love this! Some of these are so difficult… until they are done and then you miss them.

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 15, 2015 at 1:14 PM

      It's amazing how precious something so exhausting can be to you, isn't it? I can't even imagine right now how empty my house would be without the chaos of children.

  8. Lisa notes... says

    May 14, 2015 at 12:30 PM

    This is great, Tanya. I had that romanticized image too, and like you, it reality it looked very different. 🙂 But yes, at the same time even more beautiful than I'd imagined. Real motherhood can be very messy (regardless of how old our children are), but it's always incredible.

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 15, 2015 at 1:16 PM

      So true, Lisa. There's no way to prepare yourself for either the chaos or the tremendous blessings of motherhood.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today!

  9. JES says

    May 16, 2015 at 5:31 PM

    I loved reading this! Thanks for the smiles 🙂 Thank you for sharing this week on the Art of Home-Making Mondays.

    • kentuckysketches says

      May 17, 2015 at 2:20 AM

      Thanks so much for hosting! 🙂

         

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