WOW, your hands are full...

How many times have I heard from a stranger walking by, "WOW, your hands are full!" when they look at me with my three children (under the age of 5).

I smile and then wonder how to respond... I usually smile and say "yep :) we have fun"  but inside I want to yell something like...
"Yes, I have three kids.  I am out numbered.  BUT I am not out of control, loosing my mind, or unhappy.  I CHOSE this people!  Each one of my children was a gift from God to our family and I am blessed by their presence in our family".

I am very aware that choosing to be joyful about having children is going against our culture, going against what people think is normal.
Sometimes I forget that being a mom is battling.  Yes, I said battling.

I CHOOSE to stay home with my children and raise them myself.  I am battling against the idea that I NEED to have my own career and make my place in the world.

I CHOOSE to trust God & my husband to provide for our family.  I am battling against the idea again that I have to take care of everything, I must do all the work and make it happen.

I CHOOSE to have children, yes, more than one, more than two, yes, I have 3 AND guess what!?  I WANT MORE!   I am battling against the idea that children steal your time, your life, your identity.  And that there is an reasonable number of children (normally less than two).

When my husband and I have time without the kids do you know what we do?  We talk about the kids, how much we love them, what they are learning, what we are learning, how we are all growing as a family.  Without our children, yes, we would have fun, probably go out more and have nicer things... but since when do things make you happy?!  I love my leather ottoman, but I am pretty sure it's not going to love me back, smile at me, or tell me thank you for a yummy dinner.
The joy and deep love that I was introduced to when I met my daughter is more that I can explain, it's a different love.  Yes, I love my husband, but this love is different.  This love cost me something from the very beginning, it cost me discomfort, sleep-less nights, my body changing, pain, fear... the list goes on.  I had to work for this love and still now, I am daily living for this love.

Daily I am loving and battling.  When I go out and people make comments, my children see my reaction, am I going to treat them as a burden, or the loves of my life?  When people look at my like I'm crazy or I must not have any applicable knowledge to offer because I stay home with my children instead of work, I am battling.  Laying down my life daily & my children need to see me doing this with JOY, not out of duty or with a bad attitude.  I choose this, I choose them, and they need to know I live happily & joyfully with my choice!  Luckily I have a wonderful group of mothers and friends around me that are standing with me shoulder to shoulder saying the same thing, "I will lay my life down for my children"!

Today I read a post that was encouraging and reminded me that I am exactly where I want to be.  I am a Mother.  It is not easy, nothing worth doing is... but I choose to lay my life down daily for my children joyfully.

Read and be encouraged: Motherhood is a Calling (And where your children rank)