I am an Imperfect Mom

I had dinner last night with an exceptional group of ladies. These ladies, plus me, are the "lead team" for the MOPS group at our church. The way they chose us is this...they went through the whole church, picked the 6 most perfect moms, and put us in charge of 70 other women, who are now perfect just like us. Let me hear a big HA HA HA for that. Oh and we have a mentor mom too, Mary Kay, and she actually is almost perfect. Seriously, we were meeting last night, and someone mentioned something about yelling at their kids. Someone else chimed in about yelling at their kids too. And as the imperfections are coming out, you can see the rest of us letting out huge sighs of relief as if to say "oh thank goodness that I'm not the only one who is not a perfect mom". We all want to be perfect moms, and we sometimes act like we are, until we find other moms who are like us, and we can let down the barriers and confess that we let our kids eat Doritos for breakfast. I have the privilege of being part of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) for almost 4 years now, what a blessing this has been to me, to be with other moms who are in the same boat with me. You see, I'm not a perfect daughter, not a perfect wife, not a perfect sister, nor friend, nor granddaughter, nor daughter 'n law, did I actually think I could be a perfect mother, the hardest job of all? Before I was a mom, I probably thought "What's the big deal? You have a baby, you're bigger than they are, so just make them do what you want them to, and they will." Not quite how it works. Here's the big deal...meeting the needs of little people around the clock wears you out physically...the decisions you make now, and the things you say to them now, will affect them forever...I worry about their safety and health...I know that I am going to make decisions that will make them angry and they won't understand it until they become moms themselves...and on and on. I gave my own mom and Mother's Day card last year, and I can't remember the exact wording of it now, but it meant "now that I'm a mom myself, I get it! and thanks!!!" Although some days are hard, I LOVE being a mom. I love those girls more than I ever thought possible. And they're so forgiving, that amazes me. Even when I've had a "bad mama" day, they smile at me so sweetly, hug me so tightly, I don't think they're capable of holding grudges like adults. Well I'm so thankful I'm forgiven by them, but more importantly, I'm forgiven every second by Jesus, my Savior. He's the only perfect one. I'm forgiven, I'm saved, I'm comforted, and I'm strengthened, by HIM. At the end of a bad day, during the middle of a good day, before a day even begins, He is there!

To all my mom friends, you're doing a great job! I love you! And so does Jesus!