Before I Was a Mom

Before I was a mom, I….

• wore dry-clean-only clothes
• put on makeup every day
• went to lunch at restaurants with fancy-sounding names
• ate slowly and savored my food
• could fit everything for a weekend trip into a small corner of the trunk
• did minor amounts of laundry
• could shop all day
• had clean, non-fingerprinted glass doors and windows
• knew all there was to know about parenting
• thought time passed slowly
• prayed repeatedly, asking God to give me a child

Before I was a mom, I never….

• shopped at Gymboree or The Children’s Place
• ate at Chuck E. Cheese
• knew the location of every restroom in stores I frequent
• looked for restaurants that offer “Kids Eat Free” night
• tiptoed through the house
• took so many pictures
• realized how much diapers, bicycles and piano lessons cost
• understood the joy that came from a spontaneous kiss and an “I love you” before my child dashed off to play
• feared so many evils in the world
• saw myself, complete with good traits and bad, reflected before my eyes
• felt such a responsibility toward another human being
• knew how grateful I would be for God’s precious gift of children

[I will return to my series of open letters next Tuesday.  In the meantime, I am enjoying some “mom moments” with my family, so am sharing this post originally published on August 12, 2009.]