Waiting At The Crossroads

"First, take time to always be at the crossroads when your children are coming or going—when they leave and return from school—when they leave and return from dates—when they bring friends home. Be there at the crossroads whether your children are six or sixteen.”
-Ezra T. Benson
I am not a religious person so I had no idea who Ezra T. Benson was or where this quote came from. I heard it and fell in love with it because this is where I am right now, at a crossroads, in parenting. My kids are 11, 10 and 9 and it seems like overnight, they have grown into big kids. There are so many opinions, so many arguments and so many disagreements. I have my own opinions on how they should be raised intertwined with the very differing opinions of two other parents. Honestly, I feel like a glorified babysitter. I want to be there for my kids all the time. They expect me to be there all the time. I like to be expected to do this but it's hard with three kids going in three different directions. As overwhelming as it is, I love being a mother. 
I love being there when they are dismissed from school.
I love answering all the questions.
I love finding out the latest gossip about who did what.
I love knowing that they have someone there guiding them with homework.
I love seeing the happy smiles when they ace a test.
I love being there during the heartaches that come with developing friendships. 
I love shuttling them to all their extracurricular activities. 
I love being there when they nail the song they have been practicing.
I love being there when they shave a second off of their freestyle.
I love knowing that they feel secure because I am always around. 
I love being there. Just there. 
I have chosen to be a mother. I have chosen to be a step-mother. I have chosen all the insane amounts of worry that comes with these responsibilities.  I want to be able to do this until they are ready to go out on their own. I don't love the arguing and the headaches but it comes with parenting. I want to be able to do all of this again. I hope to one day be able to have more children. I am leaving it up to fate. 
I am at a crossroads and I am choosing to grow along with my children. I choose to be around as much as possible, even when they don't really want me to be around. They know I will always be there for them. They can count on me!