Do you ever feel underappreciated as a mom? Oh who am I kidding, if you’re a mom, of course you’ve felt this way. Sometimes it seems we pour out our heart and soul into these little beings and all we get is back talk, whining and eye rolls in return. But every once in awhile you’ll catch that little glimpse of the impact you really are making. The kids will drop the barrier, if only for a second, and show you how much they really do appreciate the little things you do, and all of a sudden it’s all worth it again.
“Seriously, Mom?”
I’ve mentioned before how much music impacts my life. If we want to start the day off in a good mood, then turning on the music is the first thing we do. For the last month once the kids get up I turn on the music, start tidying the kitchen and dance like a mad woman. It’s an immediate mood booster for me and also starts the eye rolling from the kids and the complaints about why we can’t listen to their music. (Because, if I have to hear Let it Go, What Does the Fox Say? or Gangnam Style one more time I’m going to get all murdery). Once I start dancing, Izak will either hide behind the cereal box or just hang his head in his hands. Ayla raises her eyebrows and looks away. Of course this only fuels my fire and makes me dance more. If we can’t embarrass our children why do we bother having them?
A couple weeks ago , I had one of those mornings where I needed to get stuff done before school so I was sitting at the computer instead of doing my normal kitchen dancing routine. It was pretty quiet that morning and as Ayla sits at the table she says “You should turn on some music, Mom.” Of course! Silly me, how could I forget the music? So on it goes. A minute later Ayla looks at me again and says “Mom…you can dance…if you want to.” I looked at her and smile “Do you WANT me to dance, Ayla?”. She looks back at me, smiles shyly and says “Yeah…”. Ah ha! They DO love my dancing! The work could wait, it was time to dance it up for my little people. Those little crazy things that you do, the things that make you the unique mom that you are, they notice. They may roll their eyes, you may hear a lot of embarrassed “Moooooooomm…”. But deep down they love exactly what their mom is. All crazy embarrassing little bit. Just maybe not in front of their friends ;).
We may not see it often, it may not be said out loud, but those little people do appreciate you. Yes, they take you for granted most times. But they’ve always had you there so they don’t always know how awesome you really are. (And yes, Mama, YOU are awesome). So hang onto those moments when they do show you what you mean to them. When the impact you are making shines through. Sometimes you’ll see it in their laughter and giggles, the way they treat their friends, the way they’ll be kind and helpful to their sibling when they don’t know you’re listening, you’ll receive a special card highlighting all the things you do as a mom that you think go unnoticed, or they’ll give you a hug and an “I love you” when you need it the most.
Focus on those moments, start a journal, write a blog, whatever you need to do. But hang onto those memories. When you’re feeling like you don’t make a difference, that nobody even cares that you’re there, look back and realize how loved you are. Remember that without you, they wouldn’t be the amazing little beings that they are. You’re doing a great job, Mama. Don’t ever forget that.
Do you have a special memory of when you felt appreciated by your kids? Big or small, share below! Sharing the memory has a great way of bringing back those loving feelings 🙂
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