Lesson: Mommies Are Stronger Than They Think They Are

There are so many things that you don't think to prepare for before you become a parent. I expect most new and/or expectant parents expect an "Ozzie and Harriet" or "Leave it to Beaver" home. We have this subconscious expectation that things will always work out ... you know, that the problems will all be relatively minor, you'll always know how to handle them, and things will fall back into their proper place within one hour or less. I'm not saying we all really think that, only that you don't stop to ponder all the "what ifs", which I suppose in the long run is why the human race continues to have children.

My kids have given my share of scares, I guess, even though they are only 7, 4, and 2 years old. The first time I had a child with a fever of 104, I was stressed. The first time one of them slammed his head into a door frame and tried to give himself two black eyes in the process, I was stressed. The youngest fell into a table and gashed his head open exactly a week after he started walking. I cleaned him up and put a bandage on it, trying to stay calm. (Part of that was because he needed help, and part of it was because I could tell that his Daddy was in a state of half-panic over it.) The middle boy had his turn when he fell and split his cheek open and had to go to the emergency room one night after church because the doctor’s office had closed about an hour before. 

I used to have an extremely weak stomach when it came to cleaning unpleasant things up, but I’ve spent my share of time mopping up from sick stomachs, grouchy intestines, or damaged and wounded skin. It’s not my favorite job, and once in a while it still tries to do a number on my stomach, but it’s part of being a Mom. Most of the "crisis" moments I've gone through have allowed me to handle the next one with at least relative ease. 

I laugh now when I think about the nurse who was eavesdropping on my conversation as I spoke to my newborn (as in about 10 minutes old) third son. I was commiserating with him, unstressed, as he wailed and protested his rude introduction to the world. The nurse made some sort of a comment about how she loved to listen to Moms who had been through all this before, because they were so calm about things. But that's really what it takes. Being a Mommy has taught me that staying calm helps my children (and sometimes my husband) to be calmer, and eases the tension for all of us. Whether I knew it or not, I CAN do this!