OCR Text |
Show Motherhood can be very Hectic but it is Very Rewarding too By Mary Gae Evans PAROWAN - Ah, motherhood. Poets write about it, composers set it to music, and all revere it. You have a child and, suddenly, you are expected to be all-knowing--a veritable fountain of knowledge and wisdom. "Mother knows best" and "ask Mom, she'll know." Now I hate to disillusion anyone, but mothers have their little moments of doubt just like anyone else. And, if you happen to be a young lady thinking of taking up motherhood as a vocation (and there is really no other way to do it), I must tell you that there will be a number of situations arise that will require extraordinary skill, patience, and split-second timing on your part. (There really should be some sort of intensive training course to prepare you for the years to come.) For example, you must be able to prepare a dinner that requires constant con-stant stirring while feeding cereal to a wiggling baby who, incidentally, spits it all back out, while trying to put pajamas on a two-year old who has to be caught first and who has a runny nose that must be wiped at least mce every 30 seconds. Motherhood also requires a rather strong stomach. There will be repeated episodes of throwing up (some kids throw up if they even hear the word "flu" they don't want to miss out on a single germ) and you will be the one appointed to clean up the mess. Most fathers just don't want to get involved. Children very seldom throw up in the bathroom. It is more likely to be in the bed, on the carpet, or even on the wall so brace yourself for that. There is also the little chore of washing out soiled diapers in the appropriate area in the bathroom. Not everyone enjoys that part of motherhood. I'm sure it must have been a mother who invented disposable diapers-for just that reason. A mother can tell she's a success if she can outrun her 2-year-old, talk a 4-year-old out of something-anything-take a picture of the kids sitting together without one of them pulling a face or hitting one of the others, or get ready for church in two minutes. (That's all the time that's left after she helps everyone else with clothes ' they don't want to wear, last minute diaper changes, and bottle warming for babies.) She must arrive in fairly decent shape, it doesn't count if she forgets to comb her hair or walks in with a piece of toilet tissue stuck on her shoe. She must be able to face different kinds of crisis when the children are older, such as coping with daughters who fall in love with boys who drive too fast and sons who fall in love with girls who are too fast. She must be able to keep from fainting when her son comes home in peritxlically with assorted wounds requring stitches, and refrain from running alongside on foot when he takes his first solo drive in the family car. She must adjust to loud music-and I use the word "music" lightly-and be prepared for anything, anytime, anywhere. But, when it comes right down to it, it is really quite a challenge, adventure, and-believe and-believe it or not-it's fun most of the time. When you're not crying, you'll be laughing. So, if you're already a Mom, sit back and let someone else do the dishes on Mother's Day. And, everyone else be sure to give your Mom a great big kiss and tell her how much you appreciate and love her. I guarantee that will be the best gift she can get. |