The Most Important Work

I've been thinking a lot about motherhood lately (can you tell?) Having eight children does that to a person.

My latest thought? 

Why do people so often say, "You must have your hands full! How do you do it?"

I know these people mean well (and it's only small talk anyway), but it's like they're saying, "Why would you choose to torture yourself that way? Well, someone's got to do it." It makes motherhood sound like punishment, like children are something to be "put-up-with". And many moms do feel this way! Once the school year is over, these moms are in agony because they will be with their children all day long. "What am I going to do?" they ask. "My children will drive me crazy!"

I don't blame these moms. (I do blame a culture that perpetuates the attitude that children are an annoyance and staying at home and focusing on being Mom is a less-than-worthy endeavor.) Children are hard work. They require an enormous amount of energy and time. But parents can see their roles as something more than just babysitter.

Think about this quote from Dr. John Trainer:

Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.

Bringing home a pay check may seem important. Lobbying for non-GMO, organic farming may seem important. Discovering the cure for cancer, firefighting, and preaching to a thousand people may seem important. But as important as all these things are, parenting is still more important, because the future of humanity relies on the parents of today. If we don't pass on our values to our children, our values die with us. The efforts that we start can only be continued through our children. Someday, our children will take the baton from us, so we must train them now how to run the race.

In short, moms (and dads) raise up the next generation. 

Can you grasp that? The responsibility? The undertaking? The stakes?

And we have only a few short years to lay the foundation.

Summer vacation is here. What's your game plan? Are you going to "put-up" with your children for a few months? Or make the most of it?