Why kids are awesome

I think it's pretty clear that I am not a kids-complete-me, or "Being a mom is what I was born to do!" kind of mother. This is the hardest job I've ever had. Part of the reason (and the reason that I tell myself to feel better sometimes, but it is really true) is that I take the job very seriously. I know I have a huge responsibility to raise these little people and that is quite overwhelming. And often frustrating.

However, I also know that I can be a pessimist; often too much of a pessimist. Today I was thinking of all the reasons that is it is great to have children. This despite the fact that I found the TV remote laying in a plate of syrup, was woken up at 6:15am, and entered a living room and kids' room strewn with toys and games that were all put away last night. :)

1. They are a comfort.

• Nothing is as pure and comforting on a rough day or in a rough moment than an unsolicited hug and kiss from a little person who loves you so completely.

2. They are hilarious.

• The other day K told a joke that delighted Jim and I. "Robbers shouldn't disguise their houses as donuts. Because if they did the police would find them when they came to get donuts in the morning." And, because he's a kid and hilarious, he added, "Because police love donuts."
• S is learning tons of new words but can't always pronounce them. Train is "frain", truck is "Fruck", camel is "cammamenal".  "I put the frain on the frain frack, Mommy! Look at me!" Never ending source of smiles.

3. They laugh. With their whole selves

• When a child laughs, they give themselves over to it completely. And this makes me happy not just because they are laughing, but because I know they CAN give themselves to being so happy because they are loved, protected and supported by us. That can cover a multitude of issues.

4. They don't care about our faults

• I can be mean, poor, sick, harsh, boring, etc. but I am loved just the same. That kind of unconditional love is unique. Spouses, friends, parents all offer versions of unconditional love, but it just isn't quite the same.

5. They are little copies of me and our families

• S makes funny faces while watching TV, just like Jim does. K has the same toe shape that my sister does. S has the same eye shape as Jim, Jim's Dad, Jim's grandpa, etc. K draws all the time, just like my artist husband. It's cool to know that our family continues on like that.

6. Watching them learn

• We get the job/privilege of teaching our kids so many things. Even if we didn't homeschool, we'd have the opportunity to watch these little, tiny babies learn about the world and how they fit into it as they become little kids, big kids, teenagers, and so on. It is such a cool feeling to see light bulbs turn on and joy in their faces as they discover new things or figure out something that has been hard to understand.