Dear Stay-At-Home Mama…I Know…

Dear Stay-At-Home Mama,

I know it’s hard…

I know it’s hard when people don’t understand you.

I know it’s hard when you get asked, “So what do you do all day?”

I know it’s hard when you’re subtly told to “do more with your life.”

I know it’s hard when you don’t have a minute alone to yourself even to go to the loo.

I know it’s hard when no one will eat the food you labored to cook.

I know it’s hard when you cook and then feed everyone else only to sit down an hour later with a cold plate of food.

I know it’s hard when you’re wrangling a screaming toddler while trying to get your older kid to school on time.

I know it’s hard when you step on a tiny lego piece for the tenth time that day.

I know it’s hard when you look at another mama and wish you had her life.

I know it’s hard when you’re waiting eagerly for your husband to get home so you can have a shower, only to find out he’s going to be late.

I know it’s hard when no one appreciates you for what you do.

I know it’s hard when you’ve been potty training your three year old for what seems like ages.

I know it’s hard when you’re sick and just want to curl up in bed, but there are kids to be to fed, diapers to be changed and clothes to be washed.

I know it’s hard when you’re up at night for another nighttime feed and you’re counting down the hours to when you will have to wake up to make breakfast.

I know it’s hard when a kid pukes all over the bed you just made.

I know it’s hard when the mountain of dishes keeps growing higher and higher.

I know it’s hard when you don’t get to finish your hot cup of coffee in peace.

I know it’s hard when your toddler wakes up for the umpteenth time at night because he’s had another nightmare.

I know it’s hard when you haven’t read your Bible properly in days.

I know it’s hard when you desire to be out there chasing your dreams.

I know it’s even harder when you feel guilty for ever having those desires in the first place.

I know it’s lonely…

I know it’s lonely when you spend an entire day without a conversation with another adult.

I know it’s lonely when you’re hiding in your room, on the floor, eating a bar of your child’s leftover chocolate.

I know it’s lonely when you wish you could pick up the phone to call a friend but you just can’t find the time.

I know it’s lonely when you can’t share your feelings of anger and stress with others because you can so easily be misunderstood.

I know it’s lonely when you’d like to have a friend over but your house in a state of perpetual mess.

I know it’s lonely even when you’re never really alone.

BUT…

I also know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be…

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when you hear “ma-ma” for the first time.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when little arms wrapped around your neck squeeze you tight.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when you experience the joy of “firsts” – first roll over, first sit up, first step, first giggle.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when you make their favorite meal and get a wet kiss and “thank you mama” in response.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when they climb into your bed early in the morning for some mama cuddles.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when you get to hear all about your child’s day at school while you’ll sit around the dining table together.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when you see your older one repeat Bible stories to their younger sibling. The same stories you rushed through late last night because you were just too tired.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be when they learn something new, like tying their shoe laces.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be because you know these years are fleeting and soon they won’t need you as much anymore.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be because you know God placed you here “for a time such as this.”

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be because you know that your sacrifice will reap great benefits in these little lives as they grow older.

There’s nowhere else you’d rather be because you’re creating precious memories every day.

I know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be because you chose this. You want this.

I know that even on the hardest days, there’s nowhere else you’d rather be, no one else you’d rather be with, and nothing else you’d rather be doing.

I know dear mama. Because this is my life too.

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