“MOM…mom…mommy”, my son calls from his crib. I listen as a smile spreads across my face. Without a response he starts his plea again.
After a few moments I respond, “Yes Jack, what is it?”
“I AWAKE!” he exclaims.
Every morning we go through this same routine. And like always I eagerly open his door greeted by a pair of tired eyes and a great, big smile. It has become one of the highlights of my day.
Despite the joy I get daily as a mother with moments like this, I sometimes have felt that the world views my role below those who make millions, star in the next Hollywood hit, or travel the world. In today’s society we are often thrown mixed messages of what it means to “succeed”. We are told it is in personal self-fulfillment, careers, or other achievements. I have never turned on the news to hear their big story be about a mother who played blocks with her son despite tons of laundry she had to do, or a father who patiently helped his daughter learn to drive, or a husband and wife who took the time to talk with each other instead of watching TV. Sometimes it is easy to get discouraged when the world places the sacrifice of motherhood and marriage below so many other achievements.
It is when I focus on the true purpose of why I am here that the voices of the world fall away and I am reminded of my crucial role as a wife and mother. In The Family: A Proclamation to the World it states “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children”. God’s plan is that we, His children, come to earth to receive a body and then prove that we will follow Him despite all the temptations that surround us. If we do this we are promised eternal life with Him forever. In order to help us succeed God created marriage and family as the best setting for us to accomplish this goal. In His eyes my role as a wife and a mother is a crucial part of the unfolding of His divine plan. What I do in the walls of my home, how I treat my husband, and what I teach my son matters more to Him than anything else I could be doing with my time on this earth. His version of “success” is very different than the one the world portrays.
As I have studied The Family Proclamation and prayed about its meaning I have been blessed with a new and greater insight on what it means for me to be a daughter of God. I know that He sees what I am trying to do as a wife and mother and rejoices over my efforts. It is with the peace of His love that I am able to look at what the world offers and turn it down in order to fulfill my greater purpose on earth. So, every morning when my son calls for me I will rejoice over the opportunity I have to be his mother and to teach him who he is as a son of God.
Emily Bryan is just starting this new mom adventure and has found the marathon to be exhausting but extremely rewarding. She loves being the only woman in her men’s life with a good-looking husband, 2 year-old son (Jack), and another little man on the way. She finds the greatest happiness spending time with her family, taking pictures, eating delicious food, and exercising (partly to justify all the not-so-healthy-for-you-but-
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Well put, Emily!