A TRIBUTE TO MOTHERS

Mothers are probably the most abused species on earth. From the moment they give birth to a child, they are spit up on, puked on, pooped on, wakened at all hours of the night for all sorts of reasons, and screamed at from wailing infants to angry teenagers. Yet with one wet, sloppery kiss or one tight squeeze around the neck or one straggly bunch of weeds clutched in a tiny fist given with the words "Here Mommy"....all of that melts away. That's just how mothers are.

She is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (unless she is lucky enough to get a little time away with Daddy). Her resume is quite impressive:

Chef - preparing healthy, well-balanced meals all the while convincing a 3 year old that green peas are really "green glow pellets" that will give him super powers

Waste Management expert - cleaning up many poopy diapers and all that goes along with that scenario as well as episodes of stomach upsets that create messes from head to toe

Nurse - rocking sick babies, wiping the brow of fevered children, sitting by the bed through the night just making sure they are breathing ok, watching every cut and scrape for sign of infection, kissing hundreds of boo-boos

Engineer - able to build lego castles, lego skyscrapers, put together toys that a "real" engineer would need a degree to build

Chauffer - managing to get every child to every soccer practice, piano lesson, dance lesson and baseball practice while doing her own errands along the way; driving kids to church for choir, mission projects, Mother's Day Out, and church services; even handling their social lives for birthday parties, sleep overs and fun times with friends until they get their own license to drive

Event coordinator - Staging the most creative birthday parties and baking the best birthday cakes ever; celebrations for everything from first poop in the potty to making 100 on a spelling test

Tutor - teaching the art of tying shoes and buttoning clothes; drilling math skills, reciting spelling words, helping with science projects, health projects, reading and more...

Counselor - consoling weeping children due to the loss of a pet, a favorite toy, a friend who moved away, snubs by a "supposed" friend, the first broken heart..

Detective - found the missing paci, the missing teddy, the missing shoes; unraveled the mystery of "who dunit" when everyone involved points to the other; solved the case of the mysterious brown stain on the living room carpet

Entertainer - Sang silly songs and danced around the room with a 1 year old to stop their crying; made the silliest faces imaginable to a tiny baby just to elicit one little toothless grin; made up games and songs on rainy days to keep bored children occupied; created a stage and audience for all the performances of the most talented kids on earth;

Religious instructor - taught them songs about Jesus since they were born, read Bible stories to them til they were old enough to read for themselves, prayed with them, taught them to pray, taught them about God and His wonderful creation, taught them to take their troubles to Him.

Also skilled at multi-tasking, scheduling appointments, coordinating play dates, fashion consulting and refereeing. Additional duties include: seamstress, hairdresser, coach, roommother, chaperone, team mother, den mother, sponsor to cheerleader squad, gynastics team, band, etc.

Served on PTA, booster clubs, teen board, and concession stands.

Yes, ALL of these things are included in mothers' resumes and more...Why? Because that is just what mothers do.

Mothers always have to play the bad guy. They are the ones who refuse to get you up every 30 minutes as a baby, allowing you to cry instead til you quit waking up through the night. They are the ones who take away your paci, who refuse to allow you to wear diapers any more, who won't let you stay up til all hours of the night. Mothers are the ones who make you eat yucky food like broccoli and green peas. They are the ones who will not let you ride your bike in the street or throw your ball through the neighbor's window. They are a real kill-joy when it comes to TV, too. They will only let you watch a limited number of hours and then only what THEY want you to watch! Bummer! When you get older they are the ones who decide what you can and cannot wear, much to the chagrin of many a teenage girl. They are the ones who search for and usually find the Playboy magazines hidden in the boys' rooms and who refuse to give them back! Yes, mothers can definitely be a real kill-joy. That's just how they are.

Yet mothers are always the one their children run to, they are always the one they know will be there with a hug and a kiss and a prayer. They are the ones who will tuck them in at night, scare the monsters away and let them know that all is well. They will kiss all their boo-boos away, mend Teddy's arm when it falls off and keep stitching Pooh Bear back together because it's baby's favorite lovey. Mothers know just how you like your sandwich fixed, which cup is your favorite, and can read your favorite book without ever opening the cover. She is the one who will hold you when your heart is breaking and weep with you when there are no words to console you with. She is the one who will spend hours on her knees in prayer for you, who will hurt with you and for you til all is well in your world again.

Mothers hold your hands while you are little but your heart for a lifetime. Their love is never ending, no matter what. And if they are a Christian, they have no greater joy than to know that their children walk in truth. They spend their life raising you so that you can stand on your own two feet and grieve when you do because they miss you so much. Mothers must give you roots and wings even if it breaks their heart. Most mothers think that when they get their children raised, their work will be done and the worrying they did for 18 years will be over. But then they find that instead, their hearts just open wider to envelope the spouses of their children and then be filled to overflowing with love for the grandchildren that come. No, a mother's work is never done, but neither is the loving. That's just how mothers are.