Friday, December 9, 2011

Bound and Determined By Alex Kuykendall, mom of four


A shower. That’s all I wanted. I mean, really, was that too much to ask? Determined, I got up early, made everyone breakfast, packed up school lunches, nursed the baby and was ready for my five minutes of soap and water. I didn’t need to do my hair or put on makeup, I just wanted to smell like something other than spit-up.
 

"Don’t underestimate
the determination
of a mother."

It was getting close to time to load up my school-aged kids in the car, but I was clinging to my vision of cleanliness when the babysitter arrived to watch the younger ones for the day. No! That time already? My eyes darted to the clock on the stove. Six minutes left until it was time to pull out of the driveway. I threw the baby at the sitter. “I’m just going to take a quick shower,” I blurted over my shoulder as I ran into my bedroom.

Five minutes later I emerged. “Wow! That was fast,” the sitter said as I marched into the kitchen and grabbed my purse and keys. Not yet a mother herself, I figured I was offering a bonus to her babysitting salary, a tip that I needed to remind myself of on a regular basis: don’t underestimate the determination of a mother (or the value of a three-minute shower).
 

Dear God, thank you for using my mothering to bring me closer to the woman you’ve created me to be. Thank you for small mercies like hot showers and time to take care of myself. Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment