Why It's Great to be a Mom

1. I get to spend my days with little people who are fun, honest, and pretty cool.

2. I have an excuse to spend my days reading some of the greater literary works, including Winnie the Pooh, Frog and Toad, and The Sneeches on the Beaches.

3. Stimulating Discussion. Whoever said that stay-at-home moms don't use their brains has never spent an entire day answering the earnest questions of a preschooler:

"Mommy, what do we do if our house is on fire inside and there is an army of scorpions outside?" or "Could you ask God if he could take me to heaven instead of Jesus? Jesus has holes in his hands and I'm afraid he will drop me."

4. I get the privilege of raising tomorrow's world-changers. And just recently, Grace and Caleb made a list of rules they would enact if they get to be in charge of the government. They are as follows:

• no smoking
• no killing
• no showing the middle finger
• when you sell a coloring book at a garage sale, none of the pages can be colored
  
• it's okay to chew with your mouth open

5. Someday when my kids are mature and successful I will have the satisfaction of knowing that I was the one who taught them not to pick their noses (if, in fact, I ever get them to stop doing that)

6. Humility. Aside from all the times I've been pooped on or told on - "My mommy wore that shirt yesterday" - I will always remember when Grace was three years old and she had learned Romans 3:23 (For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God).

She had a lot of trouble with this because she just could not accept that any of her grandparents had ever done sins. "What did they do?" she asked, scandalized. I thought this was kind of cute, so I thought I would let her in on another secret.

"You know, Mommy does sins too," I said.

"Oh, yes," she responded matter-of-factly. "You do lots of sins." And then she proceeded to list some of the more notorious ones that she has observed.

7. How it deepens my appreciation for my own mom

8. I never lack for someone to lovingly bring me flowers (even if they are from the yard)

9. It stretches me, frustrates me, exhausts me, and through all of that, invites me to be more like Jesus.

10. Kids, though they often see you at your worst, are not stingy with hugs, kisses, or forgiveness