"Whew....you have your hands full!" says every other person I encounter at Target or Harris Teeter or CVS or Aldi....you get the picture. Sometimes I just smile, other times I let my catty shine through and say, "Not really, I'm Ergoing this one," as I point to the baby hanging from my chest and shoving his fingers up my nose while pulling my hair out with his free hand. At the same time my oldest is continuing to describe every Lalaloopsy while I am trying to explain to a passing stranger that my three year old didn't call them a "stupid blockhead" but was actually acting out some Charlie Brown cartoon. I'm not exactly sure what the comment means, all I know is that I hear it all the time. Are people admiring my beautiful children? Do they pity me? Do they think I'm a special shade of crazy? I only have 3 kids. There are a lot of people on this planet who have way more kids than me. I don't even have a minivan for crying out loud. What I have come to realize is how I take it depends on my mood that day. I use to think that the actions and words of other people caused me to have a good or bad day, but I don't believe that any more.
I am the constant in my life. The actions of my kids don't change drastically from day to day. The color of the crayon used to "decorate" the office may change or I may have some extra snuggle time one day compared to others, but my kids are my kids.
This crazy, wonderful, FULL life that I have was my choice and I have never regretted it, not one day. To the people who make the comment because they think my kids are cute I say THANK YOU! I know that every parent thinks their kids are cute but I am pretty sure, empirically speaking, my kids are beautiful. To the people who say it because they pity me I say NO NEED. Don't every feel sorry for me because I have three children. Oh my goodness what an amazing blessing my children are. And not just my children, every child on this planet is a precious and amazing soul. They keep us young and honest and I have never been more blessed by anything in my life. And to the people who say it because they think my crazy sparkles I say RUN! You can't even handle this crazy. Every mother in this country has skills in keeping life sane. We keep things in check in ways that would blow your mind! But even if I were a little crazy that day, pointing it out doesn't help anything! So to every mother out there I say love with full hands, laugh with full hands, and live with full hands. One day very soon your hands won't be so full. Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train up a child in the way he should go,And when he is old he will not depart from it." Keep this verse in your heart, on your mind, and maybe even on your hand if needed. As mothers we have been given a task with eternal consequences. Every action and every reaction we have should point our children towards Jesus Christ. So the next time someone tells me my hands are full I will reply, "and so is my heart." Oh how blessed I am!