the trenches

Motherhood: it is a fight. We battle messy floors. We tackle dirty dishes. We wrestle energetic children into naps. Many of the battles we fight are with our kids or the debris caused by their energetic needs. We put in one load of laundry; our kids spill enough juice and splash in enough mud to make two more. We "clean as we go" in the kitchen while making dinner, and as soon as the meal is over, the counter top is piled high with plates and forks and quickly crusting pots. And before we can think about attacking it, someone needs a new diaper or another cup of water.

We try our best to train our children to act properly so that they will one day emerge as productive citizens and, in the case of our family, faithful Christians. However, day to day, we may see little order and less progress. It seems that only once a week do I see a clean counter top while the sun is out. Once a month are all the floors swept in the same seven-day period. In order to stay sane, we must keep the goal in mind. We must run the race in order to finish. One day we will have the presence of mind to clean efficiently and enjoy the fruits of our labor, gazing at clear table tops and counters as we recline with a fresh cup of coffee and a magazine. And our houses will be eerily quiet because all the little mess-makers will have flown the nest.

As long as we don't compare ourselves too often to those whose kids have grown and who have honed their motherhood and housekeeping battle skills, as long as we don't become mired in landscapes of food-covered skillets and yesterday's breakfast dishes, as long as we remember that our kids won't need this intensive parenting forever, we will make it through to the other side: we will emerge as talented, fun, faithful women once more. We will have the friendship of our precious children to accompany us into old age. And we will watch them take up their swords and begin their own battles.