-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 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!