Yes! All mom’s get ‘tired’! BUT, it’s better to be tired and still ‘listen’ to your little ones and ‘smile’ because they do grow up so fast, and then, they’re gone! Moved out! It gets awfully lonesome with my boys grown and gone with families of their own! And, I did do so much with my boys when they were young, and never once that I remember, and I do remember ‘it all’ did I ever say that I was tired or even think of it and say, “lets do that later on because mom is tired or too busy right now”. I enjoyed every minute of my two boys, and so remember the many joys they gave me, and still do to this day even though I don’t see them as often as I’d like to, but they do have their own lives now! So, mom’s, put off those things that make you not spend all the time necessary with your children and leave it till tomorrow because tomorrow may never come!! Or, they may grow up before you can blink an eye, and then, they’re GONE!!!
Tired, with Garfield
Posted by Danielle Bean in Family on Thursday, August 07, 2008 2:10 PM
Someone recently emailed me to ask if I ever get tired. The question made me laugh out loud.
I am sorry to disappoint anyone out there who has great faith in my personal indefatigableness, but I have to admit that yes, sometimes I do get tired. Very tired. Exhausted even.
Just yesterday, in fact, I was feeling especially tired. Tired of emails. Tired of dishes. Tired of phone calls. Tired of bickering kids. Tired of needy babies. Tired.
It was during this time, though, that one of the older boys approached me with a favorite comic book in hand. Oh, that Garfield. We never do grow weary of his sarcastic Monday mornings and dietary challenges.
Well, actually, I do. I got over Garfield sometime back in the sixth grade.
“Do you want me to read you some of the funny ones?” my big boy offered.
Actually, I wanted to close my eyes for a minute and think or pray or breathe without interruption.
Sometimes it’s the simplest of acts, the tiniest yeses that we say that are the hardest to choke out. Sometimes, when we think we’ve given every last bit of ourselves that we could possibly give, someone happens along and dares to ask for more.
It’s during tired times that I am most tempted to close myself in—to focus on my own needs in place of my family’s as an act of self defense.
Sometimes this is a very good idea. I am a great believer, for example, in the power of a well-timed nap. But sometimes pulling away only feeds my sense of resentment and entitlement. So much better to embrace my circumstances as God offers them. To say “okay” in all the small ways that add up to big ways. To go with the flow instead of fighting it.
I breathed deep and weakly answered, “Okay.”
And then I listened to a boy who wanted to share Garfield jokes with me. A boy who will someday outgrow Garfield and the desire to share with me every good thing as he experiences it. I listened to Garfield. And it made me smile.
Comments (5) |
Filed under moms, reading, rest, tired, weary
Print Article 
Email a Friend
Related articles by this author:
Related articles by other authors:
Comments
How beautiful. By sharing that you make us all better parents. Forget the parenting books friends....read Danielle’s blog!!! God bless you Danielle! Your are a very special and rare lady.
Oh, Danielle I can relate. Sitting down around here for a breather or to re group means most times that you’re fair game for a joke book, a new magic trick, a very long overly detailed account of some little tiny event, or a request to play a game. I know that with teens in the house I should eagerly embrace every one of these ‘interruptions to my sanity moment’ by the younger set, but I do often fail miserably in this and just the look on my face before I open my mouth has my little darling saying, ‘oh, that’s ok...’ and walking away.
And Danielle, I’m sure you are tired of emails these days but I’d love to have sent another today saying, ‘You go Girl! Keep the truth coming. Keep crying out in the wilderness!!’
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and reminding us to say yes even though we are just too tired. It is in those un-planned moments that we share and enjoy so much. Kudos to you Danielle for your inspiration to mothers everywhere!
Thank you, Danielle. How I needed to hear today, of all days, that it is so normal for everyone to get tired. I can sometimes retreat within myself all too often and then feel the resentment building. You are right! Embracing the little moments and daring to say “yes, I am here” (with smile on face) is so much better of a choice. It is then that we feel one with God and each other. And it is always best when we are doing God’s will in the little moments of our day!
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give Faith And Family Magazine permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.
RSS Feeds
