As moms, we hear a great many things every day. Besides the obvious variations on our title being repeated ad nauseam {“Mom! Mawwwm! Mommy! MOM! Mama! Mommy!”}, there’s the obvious and insistent “Why?” and the ever popular “I don’t wanna!” as well as the ever-present “I’m bo-o-ored.”
There are those things you hear less often but which strike fear into your very soul: “It was an accident!” “Don’t tell Mom!” “Is it broken?” “Did it leave a mark?” “You’re supposed to do that in the toilet!”
But once, just once in a while, wouldn’t it be nice to hear one of these things, for a change?
Please tell me: “Why don’t you go take a nap?”
Every. single. day. when I’m telling my children to go lie down! about seventeen times, I think fondly, Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me to go lie down? Why doesn’t anyone tell me to go take a nap? With my small people, it’s a threat, but it would be the most beautiful statement ever if it was just aimed at me.
So, yes. I think I will go take a nap. Thanks!
{When compulsory nap time becomes a thing for adults, I am so in! Can I take a rain check on all those naps I didn’t want when I was little?!}
Please tell me: “My mom is watching the kids tonight. How about dinner and a movie?”
Am I the only one who feels like she’s the one who’s always on the hunt for childcare? Every once in a while, it’s beautiful to have it already lined up for you. And for your significant other to take the initiative and plan a date night? Without you being the one to plague your mother-in-law, or your neighbor, or your pastor’s daughter, or all your friends?
PS: It had better be to see the new Thor movie.
Please tell me: “It’s 7:00! The baby slept through the night!”
Let’s get personal for a second. The first time my first child slept through the night, I woke up in a state of 150% panic. I was positive that she had been abducted by aliens or kidnapped. My mom still laughs about the look on my face when I came running out of the guest bedroom at her house.
Aside from, ahem, the possible complications arising from missing feedings during the night, it’s a beautiful thing. Hopefully, your girls will forgive you or you have a pump handy. Or a very hungry baby to oblige you.
But hey, it’s sleep. When is the last time you had that?!
Please tell me: “Thank you for everything you do.”
Moms don’t get thanked enough. For someone who does a job 24/7, it seems silly that thanks are not rendered on a regular basis, but there it is. I’m certainly not saying I want a thank-you card bi-weekly, but a little “thanks” every once in a while will not go unappreciated. {It should be noted here that “Words of Affirmation” is the author’s love language.}
Please tell me: “You’re doing a great job. You’re such a wonderful mom.”
This magical unicorn of a statement is just about the best thing anyone can sincerely say to you. All the heartache, all the lost sleep, all the worry, and the terror and the nightmares and the wet beds, all the certainty that you’re screwing this up… it seems to wash away. You’re such a wonderful mom. Don’t doubt yourself so much, girl. You’ve got this.
What magical phrase do you wish you would hear more often? What words would make your day? We promise to try to say it to you!
