Why They Call You Mom

While in a gift shop in Estes Park last week I saw a shirt that read "Who are all these children and why are they caling me Mom?" I laughed because I well remembered the days when a simple trip to the grocery store meant nursing a baby before I could leave, collecting the diaper bag essentials, getting a toddler to hold my hand while I had a baby in the other and several other children followed my lead. And all that to secure a pot of stew or vegetable soup.

All of my boys chose to be vegetarians from a very young age and all my girls chose not to be. Today that's changed a bit with two of the boys remaining vegetarians and one of the girls becoming one with another not far behind. One girl has always been a committed carnivore and I don't see that changing. I remember trying to meet these diverse preferences while attempting once a month cooking. That was insane. I used every pot and pan I owned and cooked for hours. It was worth a shot but not for me in the end.

Moms are always looking for ways to make things run smoother and to give more to their children. Some ideas work better than others and some just won't fit you at all. But striving to be a better parent comes with the territory. Sadly, I recently listened to a woman explain what a good employee she was by recounting how many of her daughter's special events she had missed over the years. I've also heard top male executives boast how they have never missed one of their child's big events. Women who chose to or must balance a career with a family often have to make a lot of tough choices. Women who stay at home with their children have also made some tough choices to be there. Increasingly women understand that about each other and while trying to choose the best for their situation also try to be supportive of people making other choices to get to the same end of providing a quality life for their children.

I've done everything I can to help Exercising Vaues fit your hectic busy lifestyle and to help you reach your highest goals for your children. I generally ask people to commit to trying it for a month because it takes a while for a new habit to take root. When you try it, please let me know if it works for you. I'm always interested in your suggestions and experience.

Having mastered the grocery store trip years ago, in a couple weeks my husband and I are traveling with three of our children to Edinburgh, Scotland and onto Heidelburg where our son is going to school this year. Instead of diaper bags it's passports. If you are home with little ones all day or struggling to make ends meet, I promise you that your world will open up and expand someday but your devotion today is what is needed to make that happen. Do well in the day of small things and later you'll have the company of older children that will bless you with their good hearts and inspire you with their kind deeds as well as make you laugh and give you someone to travel with. They are calling you Mom because to them you and their dad are the most important people in their lives while they are young. I hope following the Exercising Values routine helps you make the most of your time together.