Validation

My daughters took me to see the new movie, Mom’s Night Out.
I have not laughed that hard and that consistently in a movie for a long time.
Every mother can relate to the main character’s struggle.
Every husband and child can see himself or herself in the family members.

The young mother in the movie needed to be validated.
The young mother needed time to think, to breathe, to imagine, and to be still.
The young mother was tired.
She loved her husband and her children desperately, but she was exhausted.

She was burning the candle at both ends and she knew it.
She just didn’t know what to do about it.
All mothers have been there at one time or another.
Yet all the stories are different.

As mothers we can list those things that will get us the Mother Of The Year award.
I will tell you some of mine, in no particular order.

I allowed our oldest daughter to ride in the “way-back” seat of our new station wagon.
Even with seat belts, riding backwards after a spaghetti dinner is not a good idea.

I did not listen to our second daughter as she tried desperately to tell me something.
The car seat is not buckled, she insisted; I knew better, until I had to stop quickly.
My son toppled out of his car seat.
I Told You So, in a sweet little girl voice, kept me company most of the way home.

I failed to listen to that same daughter again when she tried to get me unstuck.
Our Suburban was stuck in some mud in a crowded church parking lot.
The men at the church tried to figure out how to pull us out.
She kept calling my name until I told her to please be quiet while they helped us.

Did you try to put the car in four-wheel drive? one man asked reluctantly.
He hesitated to ask such an obvious question.
I looked at him incredulously, pushed one simple button and easily drove out of the mud.
I tried to tell you, were the words I heard all the way home.

There was the time I got my haircut and my oldest daughter wouldn’t look at me.
You don’t look like my Mommy!
She sat far away from me as I read a book to her class.
She looked at her sneakers the entire time.

I walked into the elementary school with my youngest daughter.
She noticed the cornerstone and announced, Mom,You’re one year older than my school!
Oh the joys of first graders who notice everything.
I was older than a building at the ripe old age of forty.

Of course, not to be outdone, my oldest son had his moments.
He leaned against a wall at his sister’s basketball game.
He inadvertently leaned against the light switch, which turned off all the lights in the gym.
All eyes turned to us, turned to him, turned to me and gave me the, How Could You stare.

Both of my boys asked to call the Christian radio station to request a song.
As I listened, I heard their little voices.
What is your name and where are you from?
Phil from Philadelphia, amidst roars of laughter.
A talk about truth telling and phone etiquette was necessary.

Those same two boys were wrestling on the floor.
The older one’s knee hit the younger one’s mouth.
The younger one lost three baby teeth; two of them were already loose.
He proudly announced the next day at school; My brother knocked three of my teeth out!

There are moments and days that make you want to go back to bed.

I was delivering brownies to my daughter’s school sponsored after prom-party.
My cell phone rang as I was walking inside.
Mom, I think there is someone in our basement, my oldest son said.
Being miles away, there was nothing I could do.

My oldest son was in charge of his younger brother and sister; he was the protector.
I knew my husband was at the home improvement store.
Could it be dad?
I don’t know but I have the bat!

I envisioned the intruder battered with a plastic baseball bat.
Headlines tomorrow: Mom left three children alone with intruder.
Old enough to be alone for twenty minutes, but young enough to be scared.
Imagine his surprise when his dad emerged from the basement as he wielded the bat.

Moments.
The kind that doesn’t always go as planned.
Try as we might, something always seems to happen that we never thought of.
We are humbled as we learn from our children.

It is not wise to take yourself too seriously.
Life is funny!
Everyday moments border on the absurd at times.

To the young mom who is trying to be her best, you are!
To the young mom who is exhausted, ask for help!
To the young mom who thinks that she never measures up, get a different tape measure!
To the young mom who is at her wit’s end, look up to see Who is holding you!

One sticky kiss from a jellied face melts your cares away.
One crayon drawn card, with the words spelled wrong, is frame worthy.
One clumsy hug when you just sat down to rest your eyes is priceless.
One cozy cuddle when you both fall asleep is what it’s all about.

This time will end with an eye-blink.
You cannot stop time from passing.
You can lighten the load with the one-anothering God intended.
You are not meant to go through this life alone.

Laugh at the absurdity of life.
Cherish the incidents that made you cringe yesterday but make you giggle today.
Laugh long and hard.
Give thanks for the moments that refine you, mold you, and strengthen you.

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her. (Proverbs 31:27, 28)

Let God do the validating.
You are doing the most important job in the world.

 

 

2 responses to “Validation”

1. Good article… if it is any consolation, I was older than the junior high school I attended… even while I was there. We were the first class in the new building.

   Reply

   • Al,
     Well I guess that puts us in a unique club…the “Older Than A Building” club. Only a select few can be a part of that!
     Gina

     Reply