I was blessed to be raised in a household where my father worked to provide for us from six in the morning to seven at night (often much, much later in the summertime...#FarmersDaughterProbs) and my mother stayed home with my siblings and me. I never really realized how lucky I was to grow up in a house where my mother was there when I woke up for school at 6:30 in the morning, there at three in the afternoon waiting in the car rider line to pick my siblings and me up from school, and finally there at five in the evening to set a hot, home-cooked meal on the table for my family and me. Isn't it funny how you appreciate the little things once you're grown? Growing up and maturing makes you realize so many things.
Back then I didn't realize how difficult it must have been to get three young children up in the morning, get them ready for school, pack backpacks and lunches, and get them safely off to school. But I guess that's just one of the many superpowers moms have.
Back then I didn't realize how blessed, not lucky, I was to have a mother who was there for everything. Had cheerleading practice? She was there in her fold-up chair ready to watch. Had a dance recital? She was there two hours early to save good seats for the family. Had a softball game? She was there in the stands clapping so hard her palms bruised. Had a play at school? Yep, you guessed it. She was there in the front row with the camera firmly placed in her hands taking tons of pictures. I have so many friends that I grew up with that have parents who were rarely there for their extracurricular activities. I'm so happy that I'm able to say I had a mother who was there for everything, rain or shine. And I know she'll continue to be there until the day she no longer can be.
I think back to my K-12 years of school. And boy, were those some rough years. I struggled all the way through until about my junior year of high school. But my mother never gave up on me. She always pushed me to do the very best I could. I can remember her flashing flash cards in my face while studying for a test over the 50 states and their capitals. There were even some midterms and report cards that had some not so pretty grades on them. My mom and I used to fight like cats and dogs over my grades. And back then I hated when she would get on me about my grades. But now that I think about it, I'm so glad I had a mother who was so invested in me being successful in all that I did. Some mothers just don't care enough about their children's success. But I was blessed with a mother who will see me all the way to the top of my success.
When I was growing up, if I wasn't in school, or doing extracurricular activities, I was hanging out with my mom more than likely. I am not ashamed at all to say my mom is my very best friend. I loved, and still love, my mother-daughter dates with her. Simple lunch dates, or movie dates put a huge smile on my face. I strongly believe I only have the strong relationship that I do with my mother because she was, and still is, so involved in my life.
So to the stay-at-home moms, and of course just moms in general, I hope you know just how much you make an impact on your children's lives every day. Your children are so very thankful for you. Keep kicking butt at the best job in the world.
