Being the mom

'm taking a break from the Articles of Faith discussion. This past Sunday was Mother's Day so I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be the mom. My daughter asked me on Saturday if I like Mother's Day. I like that my children and husband do the dishes and make the meals. I like the chocolates we received at church. I loved that when my husband asked the children to say something they appreciate about me, they were thoughtful and sincere. I especially loved when my husband said to the children, "No one loves you more than your mom." What I don't like about Mother's Day is the perfection that is held up for being a mom--putting Moms on a pedestal. Shannon Hale said all of this much better than me in her Facebook post on Mother's Day.

What makes me the mom is that I was lucky enough to give birth to five children. I didn't know what I was doing. When the nurse left our first daughter on the hospital bed for us to take home, my husband and I both panicked realizing that we had no idea how to raise a child, let alone feed and keep her clean. But we did it. And we did it again and again and again and again. We learned that they all have different needs, wants, desires, and talents. I learned that the only way to be a good parent is to pray to my Heavenly Father and counsel with my husband a lot. And then pray and counsel again. I learned that a family is a messy, yet perfect way to learn. I learned and am learning that the best way for my Heavenly Father to teach me about love, forgiveness, repentance, agency, selflessness, and humility is for me to be a parent.

My second daughter gave a talk in church on Mother's Day. She said, "Jesus loves Moms. I love my mom. My mom is the best mom for me." How true. I am not the best mom. I'm the mom who God sent these five people to because he knew what I needed to learn and that if I prayed for guidance, I would be able to love and teach them. No one loves my children more than me, except for our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I'm grateful they gave me the opportunity to be the mom.