I AM A MOM

I am not a maid, a housekeeper, a cook, a nanny, an entertainer, or a magician. People who are those things get paid for doing them.  I do not get paid for cleaning up the messes you made which is why I will not do it for you, you need to learn to do it yourself.  When you drop your toys, clothes, books, paper scraps on the floor, when you make a sandwich and leave jelly on the counter I will not simply pick them up or wipe them up.  I am not Alice from the Bradybunch getting paid to pick up after mess makers.  I am a MOM. 

As a mom my job is to provide meals that nourish your growing body and brain.  It is not to deliver food that tastes yummy to your mouth every single time.  So no, I do not care that you don't like it.  You will eat what I make because that's what's been provided, and you will not complain.  This is not a restaurant, I am not a cook. 

I do clean the house, wash clothes, prepare meals, do lesson plans and teach you things you need to know.  All of this is done in the few waking hours I have that I am not working a part time job to help provide the things you actually need.  So when you do not have school work to do or a job that needs done, which you will do because you are part of this family, I will not entertain you.  God gave you a brain, an imagination, and your dad and I have bought you toys.  Grandma got you a Wii, and God created a gorgeous world outside for you to play in, go entertain yourself! If I hear, "I'm bored" I will find you a job to do because I am your mom. 

I know where your shoes, boots, pencil, eraser, Awana book, and much more are supposed to be and if you, the owner, put them in the correct place that is exactly where they will be.  So you will have no need of a magician to help you locate them.  In fact if your room is tidy and the toy/school area is too because you have done your jobs and kept them that way you won't need a magician either.

 Because this world is not magic but things cost money I can not and will not buy the entire American Girl catalog, get you a horse, or even be able to do things that I really would love to give you.  If I were a magician and could just fill our bank account with money then we would have a larger house in the country and you would have a dog and maybe a horse.  But I am not, so we don't. Talk to God about it.

Let's go back to the housekeeper/maid thing.  Cause and effect here. . .if you make a mess where I just cleaned I will be angry.  Count on it.  When I work hard to clean up the upstairs and come downstairs and it is such a disaster that we can not do school until we spend an hour cleaning up I will be angry.  I will work along side you to clean it up, but I will also warn you that if this keeps up I will sell the Wii and I will get rid of toys and things that are left out.  If you can not take care of what you have then you can't have it. 

I am a mom.  My job is to train children in the way they should go.  That means I teach you, the child, to clean up after yourself, to learn to learn, to respect other peoples property and to be responsible with what you own.  It means that I teach you to love God and honor him.  It means that when I lose my temper and yell I apologize.  It means that my heart breaks when I can't give you what you want and sometimes what you need. 

I am a mom.  I do not earn money for jobs I do in our home for our family that if I did the same for another family I would earn a lot of money doing.  It means that I love you more than I would love any child I was paid to care for in the same way.  So no, I am not a maid, a housekeeper, a cook, or a magician I am more than that. So much more than that, I am your mom.