A certain 9 year old told me today: "Mom, I am ugly. My face is square. I am chubby and I have a mustache (she has a chapped upper lip.)"
It was one of those moments. Those moments that you hear about and you wonder when it will happen to you. I was sitting in her room, on the floor. She was sitting on her bed and we were chatting. It was fine until I mentioned how much Heavenly Father loves her.
That brought tears, a shake of the head and this confession. I lovingly took her to the mirror to show her who she really is. A daughter of God. I showed her how shiny and thick her beautiful hair is. I showed her how she was definitely not chubby and how her face was definitely not square. And then I covered up her chapped mustache with a little make up (was that wrong?)
Later, while closing up for the night, I had an "aha" moment: the best way for me to be a good Mother is to have a close relationship with my Heavenly Father. When I close toHim, He can let me know what my children need and when. Because I don't know. I don't know what to say when my beautiful 3rd grader tells me she is chubby. I don't know what to do when I ask my 7 yr. old son to do something and he throws a tantrum. But He does. And He is amazing!
And He sends me little tender mercies time and time again. Yesterday, after a long, tiring snow trip in the car to a place with very little snow, Elizabeth may have sensed my frustration and slid a ripped out journal page under our door. This is what it read-
Dear Mom,
A- luck one are you to be a Mormon.
W- hether you wear makeup or not U R Beautiful.
S- ure ready for sweet chocolate (boy, does she know me!)
O- obstacles you face, you can stop 'em.
M- ighty mom.
E- lizabeth loves you!
M- aking yummy food every day!
O- n Sundays you love to take Naps!
M- istical magic of beauty
love, Elizabeth
That note made my day. Being a Mom is one of the most hardest, challenging, difficult jobs I have ever had. It is also one of the sweetest, most touching, tenderest job as well. I wouldn't have it any other way!
This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.
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