Someone once reminded me that those of us who get help from our parents probably underestimate what a difference that makes. I think that this has often been true for me, but right now I am well aware of, and very thankful for, the help I am getting, and I know that what I am doing would not be possible without the support of my extended family.
Already this week, I have had grandmothers on call. One babysat while I went to my doctors appointment, the other spent several hours filling my freezer with casseroles for my babymoon. Both are on speed dial for when the big moment comes, with just a phone call they will drop whatever they are doing and one will watch the siblings and while other will help me through my labor (my husband is a great support during labor, but each time there have been moments when I have said "I need my mommy!).
Today I thank God for moms, especially those moms who are still willing and able to be parents to their grown children!
7 comments:
Amen! It makes a big difference to have help from your parents.
Amen Squared. Living across the Atlantic from my mommy I feel this poignantly. I am so grateful you have such a support net, MA.
Sing it, sister! I am so glad you have help and can relax leading up to the joyful addition of #6!! In some ways, you may be so relaxed that you go into labor later--exactly my plan in guessing the 14th for your delivery! :)
I had the same experience with my parents around the delivery of Baby J. My mom came in for 3(!) weeks and my in-laws (in town) were (and still are) beyond helpful! Having family close by is second-to-none. It's the way our ancestors raised large families--no question it's how we're surviving right now raising ours!
Well MA, I think your generosity in family life/openness to children shows pretty excellent stewardship of the blessing of family help that God has given you.
Family is a huge blessing! Our families are both far away, but a friend's parents invited us to celebrate Thanksgiving at their home and it was wonderful for our family. There's something so nice about being with people of our parents' generation who have it all together - putting together a big meal is a breeze for them, not a huge ordeal like it is still for me :), they know just when to offer drinks and appetizers and how to make small talk...What I'm trying to say is that whether family is helping with a new baby or inviting you over for a Thanksgiving meal, there is something very nice about being taken care of by people who aren't surrounded by the busy-ness that is just part and parcel of what we do every day as moms! Did any of that make sense?
Yes, Kat, I totally relate. When we were without family out in Colorado, we were adopted by Max's parents and their extended family. They were THE BEST and become mentors to GG and I as a newly married couple. We would visit them often and they'd send us home well-fed, nurtured, and with food for the road, just like they would for their own children. Now being on the other side of the country, we miss them like we would family!
I used to think that I could live anywhere in the world, practice medicine in a mud hut, etc. The desire to plant my family in a community with great needs and direct our lives to the service of those needs still burns inside of me. However, now married and with the first of (hopefully) many children, living very close to my parents has also made it's way to the top of my list of priorities. This change in perspective is not just because I know how helpful it will be to us as our family grows, but because I want my parents to have a huge role in the lives of my children and my children in the lives of my parents. Few things parallel the joy that I feel when I watch my mother cradling my son in her arms, smiling as though she were already in heaven.
Now, how to balance both of those desires?
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