A Hard Day in the Life of a Mother

Somedays are just really hard, and this is one of them. Between fighting with Braden to get him to eat his food, his vitamin, and trying to get him to understand the concept of using the bathroom in the potty and not his underwear, I feel like I am loosing my mind. Today I have done more battling with him than having those special mother son moments. I wonder if he will only remember me as the tyrant that tried to get him to eat his green beans, the tyrant who fought with him for an HOUR to get him to eat his vitamin to insure he is getting the iron he desperately needs, or the crazy woman obsessed with asking him if he needs to go use the bathroom only to discover that he has already had yet another accident. I am trying so hard to make sure both of the children grow up to be well rounded individuals. I want them to have a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus, and I want them to obey them because of the great love they have for them, hence scripture study, prayers, going to church, looking for those teachable moments, and having Family Home Evening every Monday. I want them to be hard workers who take initiative, hence our chore chart. I want Braden and Brooke to learn to use the bathroom, mainly for my sanity, hence our I went Potty charts. On days like this though I feel like I am failing! I know every mother feels like this every now and then, and I guess today is my turn. In fact, writing this is therapy for me; I am trying to collect my thoughts, my sanity, my patience, and the spirit of this great work called motherhood! I am also trying to recount some of the things I read this past weekend in a small pamphlet called The Best Kind of Mom by Joni Hilton. She talks about how there is no such thing as a perfect mother, and she reminds us that we are the best mother for our own children. She says, "The Best Kind of Mom...doesn't exist. She truly doesn't. There is no singular, perfect, absolute, best way to be. There are hundreds of styles of good mothering, every one of which can turn out terrific kids. Some kids blossom best around a soft-spoken, gentle mother. Others like high-energy exuberance. Some kids need a tough, no-nonsense mom, while a sensitive lenient one is right for another." I guess I will just pray that as long as I follow the spirit and work to overcome my weaknesses that I will give my children what they need, and pray for forgiveness for those times that I am too short tempered. I sure am glad that Heavenly Father and my children are so forgiving. Despite me feeling like I have scarred Braden for life, he just crawled up onto my lap, hugged me, and asked me to read a book. I guess I am not completely failing at this motherhood thing, but I don't think I will be winning any Oscars for today's performance!