Will I Be a Good Mom Someday?

I’ve been keeping the one year olds at church on Wednesday nights for a couple of years now, and I love it more with each passing week. They are so much fun, and each year I enjoy getting a new, young group and watching them grow, learn, and develop over the year. As is typical, now they’re only saying things like “mama” and “daddy” or occasionally “milk” or “juice”. One of the older kids last night was like a parrot, repeating what I said. Towards the end of the night, she laid her head on my shoulder, and I said, “Is Lucy a sleepy girl?” She said, “Sleepy girl sleepy girl sleepy girl”. So precious!

My hopes have been that in keeping these children, I’ll learn many things and hopefully, it will help me be a better parent. It always helps my morale when someone compliments me, and last night was no exception. The lady working with me is also a mother, and she told me I’ll “make a great mom” someday. I appreciated that more than she’ll ever know! I certainly hope to be a great mom. There’s no doubt about that! May God give me patience, though. . . lots and lots of patience and energy!

Some things I’ve learned include:

* Babies are much more likely to “brush it off” after a fall if the adult acts like the fall was no big deal. I am a drama queen! It is hard for me still to not act like it’s the worst thing ever when one of the kids trips and falls. And those trips occur often considering my kiddies on Wednesdays have just recently learned to walk!
* Juice can solve many heartaches
* It’s an unwritten rule that a parent always has his / her child’s name on the sippy cup. They get passed around, given to others, handed to me many times over in the course of two hours. I can’t remember if Lucy has the Elmo cup or the Princess cup, but I know which one’s hers if her name is on it!
* Bubbles are a miracle! Kids LOVE them! The squeals, laughter, and smiles that bubbles create are priceless!
* Play-dough left unattended = play-dough everywhere!!!!
* How to “feel” a diaper and know if the child is wet.
* Ten one year olds for two hours can wear out a 28-year-old!
* Teachers are majorly underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked
* Singing can almost always quiet a bunch of teary kids. I still haven’t decided if it’s the songs or how terrible I am at singing them, but it works!
* Most Importantly: Children are a true Gift from God!