When All You Hear is, “Mommy!!!”

[social_warfare]

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. ‘Pooh!’, he whispered. ‘Yes, Piglet?’ ‘Nothing,’ said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw. ‘I just wanted to be sure of you.'” ~A.A. Milne

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of being a mommy. So much so that when I was little and people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up my reply was always, “A mommy and a cooker!”. As a little girl, I loved playing with my baby dolls and for some time kept my doll’s little toy playpen beside my bed where she would sleep each night. As a grew older, I would develop what many refer to as the “itching arm syndrome” any time a baby came into the room. I had these grand visions of what being a Mommy would be like - rainbows and sunshine every day, precious moments of rocking sweet babies to sleep, listening to coos and giggles and squeals, reading aloud for hours, never any squabbles or stress or difficulties, and always having the sweetest mother/child relationship there ever was. As a teen, however, I started to wonder if my dream would one day even come to fruition, for I always had long and irregular cycles and was even suspected for a time to have PCOS.

Fast forward a few years and now, as a Mama of a nineteen month old girl and 26 weeks pregnant with a baby boy, I’m living my dream. I’m a Mommy - the role I always wanted to assume. And though this is the case and though I am extra grateful for my children, especially considering the PCOS scare of my teenage years, I have made a discovery. I know this will shock you, but here it is - motherhood in its everyday form just does not equate to the pie-in-the-sky vision I had as a child. I know, right about now you are picking yourself up off the floor and trying to recover from your shock, right? 😉 But it is something we all know is true - as wonderful, beautiful and meaningful as motherhood is, it brings with it some moments when you are ready to just pull every single last hair on your head right out! It’s stressful. It’s hard. And sometimes, it even brings out the worst in us.

One of these such moments? The phase when you have a toddler (or older child even) who just wants to call out, “Mama!!!” over and over and over and over. And over again! Day after day. And all the Mamas raised their hands in full understanding of what I am talking about, right? 😉 Well, for the past few weeks, my 19 month old has entered that phase and seems to exercise it at the least opportune times - when I am busy, already stressed, or preoccupied with things that “must” be done or that I just want to do. And of course she doesn’t have anything other than “Mama!!!” to reply with when I ask her, “What, Anna?” In these moments….

 

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..you wonder if you will loose your ever-loving mind.

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..you wonder if you will live to see another day. And if you do, how are you going to go through this again?

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..you wonder how you are going to survive the onslaught of little people who need and rely on you so deeply every day.

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..you just want to do something to shut the repetition off.

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..you wish that your little one would answer your “What?” with some request as opposed to the continued onslaught of “Mommy!!!”

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..you wish you could find and push the mute button for just a minute so that your brain can actually think of something else!

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..you yearn for some peace and quiet and a moment of calm respite to yourself.

When all you hear is, “Mommy!!!”…..it can be one of the most frustrating sounds ever and, let’s be honest-sometimes in response you yell, “I’m right here!! Why do you keep calling me?? Just tell me what you want already and stop saying, ‘Mommy’!!!”

 

I can testify to having felt (and said) each of the things above. I know how you feel, fellow Mama! I get it. But I don’t want to leave you there. I want to help you up out of that frustrating moment and offer you (and myself!) a fresh perspective today, a perspective to give us vision and a purpose, hope and inspiration, gusto and love in the midst of these daily moments. So here we go…..

 

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..your ears have just been tickled by one of the sweetest names you will ever be called, a name which many women deeply long to have applied to them. You are a mommy! What a thought!

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..it is a great joy and privilege. You are someone’s mommy! You are the one who gets to love on, nurture, inspire, educate, prepare, and encourage that precious little life day in and day out!

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..it is a blessing. God, out of the goodness of His heart, has rewarded you! (see Psalm 127:3-5)

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..it is love. It is someone looking up to you and desiring you above all others. It is a little soul looking to you for comfort, sustenance, assurance, direction, and help. It is that child’s way of making sure you are still there. You are needed. You are important. You are number one in that child’s eyes!

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..it is opportunity. It is a God-ordained moment to serve that child as Jesus served those who incessantly called after Him and pressed in on Him from every side. It is not an interruption from more important tasks. As Priscilla Shirer would say, “interruptions” are actually “divine interventions”. Does the child need a boo boo kissed? Does she have a question weighing on her mind? Is she scared about something? Is she merely wanting to be reassured of your presence? Whatever it is, seize the moment as an opportunity to tangibly and visibly show Christ to that little soul. That, my sister, is time well spent and more important than sweeping that floor, answering that phone call, reading that text, perusing that social media, or prepping that dinner!

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..it is family. It is an everyday reminder that you have a family! You have what is - apart from Christ and salvation - life’s greatest gift! Our Lord delights in setting the solitary into families (Psalm 68:6) and He has done just that for you. Embrace it, sweet Mama!

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..it is life. It is richness and vitality and busy goings-on within your home! Yes, it may be loud, frazzle your nerves, and overwhelm your spirit sometimes. But it is anything but lonely! It’s anything but destitute. It’s anything but the sad solitariness that is some folks’ everyday existence.

When all you hear is “Mommy!!!”…..it is legacy. Those little people who are crying out your name over and over all throughout the day? They won’t stay little. They are adults-in-training, souls made in the image of God full of great purpose and potential. How are you going to build up that legacy today when that little one calls out your name for the millionth time this hour? It’s something to think about! Because, in the great scheme of things, with the Kingdom of God in mind, no moment is insignificant. Each moment can and will be used by God. Including this moment of your little one repetitively vocalizing their great knowledge of what your name is! 😉

In conclusion

My prayer is that this encourages and inspires your heart today, Mama. It’s nerve-wracking and stress-producing and sometimes even ear-grating when we hear that repetitive drone on and on of “Mama!!!” It’s no easy thing! I get it. Sometimes what should be the sweetest and most treasured sound to my ears is sadly and ironically the sound that brings out the very worst in me. Which is why I needed fresh perspective, myself, for these moments. And if I need it, then I’m sure some of you do, too. Does this fresh perspective mean we will handle each future case of “Mama!!!!” perfectly, with selflessness, undivided attention down on our child’s level, love, excitement, inspiration, vision, and great purpose? Of course not! After all, we ain’t gonna be perfect this side of Heaven, sister! 😉 But it does mean that we can have encouragement when the going gets tough. We can know that even those moments are not mindless, mundane, insignificant drivel and drudgery. No, far from it! We can acknowledge and embrace the fact that even those moments carry with them great impact and importance. And we can give ourselves grace when we fail, when we lash out in anger and frustration (again!), when we indulge our innate selfishness one more time. For, the Lord is redeeming us, sanctifying us, and causing all things to work together for good for those who love Him. We can rest in Jesus, sisters, for oh, how He knows firsthand what is is like to have His name called out repeatedly by the multitudes and to have whole hosts of people needing and pursuing Him all at once, all the time! He sees, He understands, and He loves us deeply. Let’s rest in Him today!

God bless you, Mamas!

Until next week,

Rebekah Hargraves

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