tears and love

Last week, with tears in his eyes, my son told me that he missed me and that he wanted to spend time with me. Long school days, busy schedules, and the immediate needs of his younger siblings were preventing us from quality time together. I cried. But after the tears I remembered that I am a mom, like all other moms, who has hard days and who is learning how to be a mom through their first child. I am so grateful my first child loves me enough to miss me and loves me enough to hold my hand in public when we were finally able to spend one-on-one time together. Trying to raise well-rounded children can be challenging and schedule oriented, but a gentle reminder of how important your affection and undivided attention is in their life can go a long way. It's hard work to be a mom, but it's the most rewarding job in the world (at least I think so).