No, it’s not Mother’s Day, and it’s not my mom’s birthday either (although it’s close). The inspiring occasion for this post is the fact that yesterday I was stuffed up and achy and feverish and just feeling yucky.
Why does this make me think of my mother, might you ask? Well, it’s because for as long as I can remember, my mom took care of everything we might have needed- laundry, dishes, homemade dinner, vaccuuming, dusting, making sure I finished my homework, running out to get something we needed, even if it was inconvenient… The list goes on and on. I suppose we helped in some ways, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
The thing that I’m remembering in hindsight is that she did all of this whether or not she got a full night’s sleep, whether or not she was sick herself, whether or not she had a migraine… In fact, if both she and I were sick, she would still be the one taking care of me, even if she felt miserable herself. I have no idea where she developed the physical endurance and the patience of mind to continue doing all of this, but she did.
Pregnancy is the first lesson in being self sacrificial for your child. You have to deny yourself certain foods or drinks, deal with various physical challenges, and carry your growing baby for nine months. Birth is the second lesson. You labor for hours, struggle and breathe through great pain and probably the longest physical marathon of your life, and push harder than you ever thought you could. These two lessons, however, also teach the great joy of self-sacrifice: you get to meet your baby! That meeting is absolutely priceless and makes all of the hard work totally worth it.
These first two lessons, however, are merely preparation for the rest of your life with your child. Already, my son has revealed much of my own selfishness and has forced me to think beyond myself. It is in the middle of the night when you haven’t slept more than three hours straight for weeks, or when you’ve finally settled in for a good bath and the baby wakes up screaming, or when you’ve got the stomach bug and your baby wants to nurse when you want to puke- these are the times that make you realize you have to choose between how you feel and what your child needs. Sure, I could complain about my son when he isn’t acting how I’d like him to or wish that the circumstances were different. But I wouldn’t trade having my son for the world, and these inconveniences are part of having him. We mothers must choose to look past ourselves and sacrifice for our children. I believe we will find that the self-sacrifice is an investment that is very much worth the effort.
As a side note, I do realize there are times the baby can wait a few minutes. I don’t believe in appeasing a whiny child’s every whim- that’s how kids get spoiled. But I do believe in meeting their needs- including giving them a lot of love. I also know that we can’t be perfect super-moms, and we won’t always do things right. But I do believe that it is our responsibility to give it our very best shots.
I look back and am so grateful for these very sacrifices that my own mother made. She was always there when I needed her, no matter what. I should use my mom’s strength and good attitude as an example when I feel an urge to complain. My little bit of sickness is nothing in the grand scheme of things, and I can certainly manage to nurse and change my son a few times in the middle of the night. There are many, many women who have gone before me as self-sacrificing mothers, my mom being cheif of them in my mind. I can only hope to join their ranks one day.
the birth bug 
