MOTHER’S DAY IS A great day for everyone to reflect on their mother, but it’s also a good time for mothers to reflect on what it means to be a mom. Freelance writer BriAnne Huwe, pictured here second from right, did just that for The Reflector. Huwe is pictured here with (left-to-right) Haylee, husband Kyle, Avery (in Kyle’s lap), Tanner and Hunter.
Being referred to as “just a mom” used to make the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Now, that sort of ignorance makes me snicker to myself – mostly because I know that the people who believe mothers sit around eating potato chips and watching their favorite soap operas all day wouldn’t last an hour with my kids. Heck, some days I can barely make it an hour.
This ignorance isn’t completely their fault. Albert Einstein once said that “the only source of knowledge is experience.” It’s kind of annoying, but that guy was right about so many things.
Of course, before I had four children I would have told you that Einstein was mistaken. I was certain that I could envision motherhood. I mean I had eyes after all, and I could read.
As it turns out, there was far too much that I didn’t know.
I didn’t know how tired a woman was capable of being. I didn’t know that a person that tired could remain standing, defying all logic. I also didn’t know that a box with 108 diapers could disappear so quickly, but that those dark circles beneath my eyes were never going away. I didn’t know that I’d never be able to jump on a trampoline or step off of a curb again without wishing I was wearing one of those 108 diapers.
Did you know that children will deliberately ingest chemicals? I’m serious. Foaming hand soap, abrasive cleaners, bug repellent, diaper rash cream ... if it looks like Fun Dip or cranberry juice or Cool Whip, it’s going down the pipe. Did you know that 7 year olds are smarter than adults? Ask my son.
Did you also know that no matter how much housework you complete, there will never be a moment when all of the rooms in your house are clean at once? Honestly, it will probably look like you never did anything at all. Did you know that no matter what you cook, one of the children is going to hate it? This helps to ensure that somebody is mad at you at all times.
Did you know kids don’t have inside voices? Seriously, just take one of them into a public restroom. Their questions and proclamations will be enough to make you never come out, until after dark, when you know that no one will ever be able to prove that you were the ones in that stall.
I also didn’t know that you could love someone this much. I didn’t know that I’d be wearing my heart on my sleeve for the rest of their lives. I didn’t know that every ounce of effort I put into helping develop their characters would be worth it the first time I witnessed their kindness or compassion or mercy.
I had no idea that I’d weep when they wept, or smile when they smiled. I didn’t know the tears of a little person could make me feel like I was drowning. I didn’t know that my life’s mission would be their goodness and success. I didn’t know that my life would be given such value and purpose. I didn’t know that raising my children well was my opportunity to change the world.
I just didn’t know. I couldn’t have known.
Experience is knowledge. And that experience renders mothers incredibly able. I have the capability of experiencing incomprehensible joy, the ability to influence society with goodness, and the opportunity to be stretched further than my existing heights. I am a mother.
BriAnne Huwe is a freelance writer who lives with her husband and four children in Basin City, WA. She is the daughter of Steve Walker, publisher of The Reflector Newspaper.
