For the Mothers out there

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's okay honey, Mommy's here. "
Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.
For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.
And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more Time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. A nod for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

This is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love. sometimes totally unappreciated!

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips?
The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...
And mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all.

For all of us.

Hang in there.

In the end we can only do the best we can.

Tell them every day that we love them.

And pray.


~ Author Unknown

Labels: grandmom, grandmother, Mom, mother, SAHM, step-Mom, Working Mom

posted by the Johnson Family at 11:12 AM 0 comments

SAHMs vs Working Moms

So, I saw the first 10-15 minutes of Montel this morning before I turned the TV off. (I generally watch the news before the boys get up and active since we have a lax schedule right now) The show was called Mommy Wars and Montel was asking the questions of SAHM or working mom, breastfeeding or bottle feeding, and the other one I caught was spanking or no spanking. My questions go along the lines that I know they have a specific number of people in the audience that feel a certain way so I am wondering how our audience feels.

SAHM vs. Working Mom

SAHMs tend to say that it is their place to be at home and raise their children instead of the day care raising them. That it is important to the child to know that mom is there and available.

Working moms tend to say that they are meeting their child's needs by providing for them and making the money so they can do sports and things. That it is important that kids learn that we have to be responsible and show our kids responsibility.

My take... I believe it is the mother's right to choose and that we should respect others decisions. My personal belief for myself is that I need to stay at home for my kids. I need to be home when they get home from school and I need to be home for the ones not yet in school. I don't want a daycare worker consoling my son when he falls and scrapes his knee. I want to be home with him. I want to be home when my daughter needs me to talk to because she has lost a friend or her boyfriend dumped her. But most importantly? I want to be home so I can spend time with my kids and in doing so I can teach them about God.


Breastfeeding vs. Bottle Feeding

Breastfeeding propaganda states that the breast is best and anything else is coming up short.

Bottle feeding is a near match and easier to do.

My personal belief? I have done both. Breastfeeding can be quite intimidating to a first time mom. While God did create women to be able to breast feed our babies, there are sometimes complications. I know personally with my youngest I had a blockage that was very painful. I chose to continue on because I felt it was better for the baby to push through the pain. With my oldest I was terrified to let her nurse so she was bottle fed. I believe that it is up to the mother. Some women do not produce enough milk for their babies and it puts undo stress on them. We should respect other's choices.

Spanking vs No Spanking

This is the obvious war one. There are those that say spanking is abuse and those that say it is ordained by the Bible (Spare the Rod Spoil the Child).

My personal belief is that there is a time and a place for spanking. It should be last resort after other methods have been tried. However, if you are going to spank you had better know the law regarding corporal punishment in your state and also the Children's Protective Services stance.

Depending on the state if you spank a child you could be arrested. The laws vary. Some say if you intentionally strike a child it is child abuse. Others say if you strike a child with an instrument (paddle, ruler, flyswatter, etc) that it is aggravated child abuse. I am pretty sure that all states in the US say if you leave a mark on the child it is abuse.

I personally believe that the government shouldn't tell us how to parent our children but in the same instance I also see the need.

If you spank, you are much more likely to "lose it" and hurt the child. It typically only happens once, but why put that risk there?



Have opinions? Comment. Let's hear from you.

Labels: bottle feeding, breastfeeding, SAHM, soapbox, spanking, Working Mom

posted by the Johnson Family at 9:51 AM 0 comments