Ramblings of an Exhausted Mother
I grumble as I cook the food I know for sure they will protest against.. I tumble as I try to move forward in life with them… I terribly toil as I try to sort their toys that seem to conspire against all kinds of organization. I broil as I sit in the scorching sun waiting for them to enjoy a swim. I ache as my baby clings to me while I drift swiftly through the housework.. Who said it should be an easy job anyway?
Parenting is one long journey, an extremely lengthy process, one where your status will always be a “work-in-progress”. You never really get a fully finished product until many years of hard work, of hopes and of disappointments. We would only start reaping the rewards much later than we would like to, with little sneak peaks here and there along the way. I came to realize I am always doing a lot yet rarely am I slightly satisfied with my performance… maybe that’s why: the results are put off for now.
Those daunting tasks are what makes the everyday marvelous in every sense of the word. I decided I would cherish those tiring moments when my toddler would still fall asleep in my arms. I will kiss those chubby, small feet for as long as they are small, and have those cute little fingers of his curl around mine. I will patiently endure as all three of my kids talk to me expecting a response, before I experience stretches of silence when they grow up. I will do my best to teach them and instill good manners and religious teachings in them before the years fly by. Even the food battles: they are going to vanish soon as they would probably evolve into normal, healthy eaters at some point.
Sometimes I feel like freezing those moments, I want to freeze those early childhood years. Those golden years are usually short lived and are gone within the blink of an eye.. or so says your grandmother or auntie. Right now they are physically demanding but I believe less challenging than the teenage years and early adolescence. So maybe I’ll be more exhausted then? I would definitelyย feel nostalgic about the days of innocence and the early childhood years.
My mother’s wisdom says that every phase shall soon pass, the good and the bad. She also has it that every child will catch up at some point in their lives, at their most suitable timing (be it food, education, or any other milestone). Maybe I’ll miss those fatiguing years, months and days… Maybe I’ll feel nostalgic about their early childhood… Maybe I’ll enjoy the process of my children growing up.. maybe and maybe. All I know for now, though, is that I am currently exhausted. ๐
