Hardest Job in the World

I am convinced that being a mom is the hardest, but most rewarding job in the world.  I am sure many would disagree with me.  You're entitled to your opinion, but read on if you want to get an idea what it's like to be a mom from my perspective.

You should consider that being a mom is not a full-time job.  I had one of those, and it's only about 40 hours.  Whatever I could not finish by Friday, I could leave for the following Monday, usually.  When you're a mom, the bedtime stories, dirty diapers, and hungry babies just can't wait until next week.  Sometimes, I wish they could, but as soon as I think about the alternative, I am always happy to get back to work.

Some days I feel like a successful mom, and other days I feel like a complete failure.  Lately, I have felt more like a failure than a success.  It's a daily struggle to make it through a day with a two-year old that likes to throw a lot of tantrums. "Don't do that!", "Stop it!", "I'm counting to 3", "Didn't I tell you . . . ", "Sit down!", "Be gentle with the babies", and "Cut it out!" seem to be all that comes out of my mouth some days.  At the end of the day, when I stare at a beautiful baby sleeping peacefully in bed, I beat myself up about my impatience.  I promise that tomorrow I will try to reason with him instead of being so hard on him.  He is, after all, just 2.

Sometimes everybody is hungry - all at once.  I try to determine who is hungriest based on the how loud his/she is crying or the how many times I'm asked for candy.  Bottle feeding the twins wouldn't seem so bad during these times, but I have picky eaters, of course.  My 2 year-old likes to think he's ordering a la carte at his favorite restaurant, making demands like, "I want pancakes, bacon, and juice."  I try to convince him that eggs, oatmeal, or cereal are a better alternative.  Sometimes he cooperates.  Sometimes I give in.  Usually, he nibbles at whatever I have served him, and I spend the next half hour convincing him to do a puzzle so I can get a decent amount of food into him.

Many days, I have help.  Thank God!  Some days I don't.  The days I don't someone usually throws up or comes down with the latest cold making its way around.  I make big plans for these days like 'I'm gonna get all the laundry done, and when the kids take a nap, I'll do all the filing.'.  I have yet to catch up on laundry, and my filing is still sitting in stacks on the desk.

I haven't slept through the night since March of 2007.  My tiny human alarm clocks don't skip meals, especially not at night.  I'm usually too tired to move them back to their beds, so most mornings I wake up with a baby on each side of me.   And . . . if I dare sleep past 8 a.m., Jameson is on the floor of my bedroom throwing a tantrum because "it's wake-up time", and he wants to go downstairs.

Showering alone has become a luxury.  By the time I get to shower, there's a baby due for a shower also.  Occasionally, there's 3 babies due for showers.  Baths are a rare occurrence here.  There simply isn't time every night for 3 baths.

I know.  I sound like an ingrate, but remember that I said 'hardest, but most rewarding'.  At the end of the day, it's all worth it to watch 3 beautiful babies sleeping peacefully, even if it means that I still need to do some laundry and wash dishes.

I know I'm late on this one, but do you really expect me to be on time?  If you're a mom and you can relate to my own experience, pat yourself on the back.  You're doing the best you can.  Happy Belated Mother's Day.