Mothering .....

Ya know ..... now that my chicks have flown the coop ..... I have more time for self-reflection. And I have come to a realization that has been very self affirming.

I am maternal ...... but not domestic!

So, what the heck does that mean??

Well ....... I love to mother, and nurture, and encourage, and teach, and provide all of those little experiences that help ones to spread their wings and discover who they are.

But ... I HATE to cook and clean!

Hmmmmmmmm, maybe that came from marrying a man who, for the first several years of our marriage, only wanted boiled potatoes and hamburgers without a bun for lunch. :)

Or, from raising a darling little boy who wanted the same meal every day for 2 weeks and then when you started to serve it the 3rd week said "Why did you fix that? You know I hate it!!" :)

Or from raising another precious little pumpkin for whom I literally had to hide 3 peas in a huge mound of mashed potatoes in order to get him to eat them. :)

You young moms have sooooooooo much to look forward to! :)

But through it all, I have learned a lot of important things ..... gold carpet does not show straw ..... bugs ..... fawn boxer hair ..... or a myriad of other assorted things that get drug into a farmhouse from the outside. Keeping the curtains closed and the lights low does wonders for hiding dirty windows and dust. And burning candles before company comes is a miracle worker for stale doggy smells!

So, when you start to get down on yourselves cause you don't think you are filling all of the shoes in your closets (or filling all the roles you feel expected to play) ..... just remember ..... you can be maternal but not domestic. Or, domestic but not maternal. Whatever combination you happen to be. God made you with the skills you have for His purpose. So use those skills to the best of your ability and wade your way through the other stuff. My boys are strong, intelligent, hardworking ....... and slender! :) So I guess I didn't do too bad after all!