Am I the only one who is over these Mom Parody videos? They
are all the same. They all have the same basic negative themes: 1. I never
sleep, 2. My children are monsters, 3. everything is always a disgusting mess,
4. I like my children most when they are asleep. I realize that they are
supposed to be funny, but why are they ALL about how hard motherhood is? Why
aren't there any about what makes up 99% of motherhood: the heart-aching beauty
of our children and our vocation?
Where is the parody video about the first thing in the
morning nursies and snuggles with your 6 month old? Where is the mom parody
about the deep peace of snuggling your baby for a few extra minutes after the
feeding, with your hand on her heart and her thumb in her mouth? Where is the
mom parody about how her eyes light up every time she sees or hears her older
brothers? Where is the mom parody about the warmth of her little body as you
hold her, and her sweet baby smell? Where is the mom parody about how you can't
stop kissing her? Where is the song about how her eyes light with love when she
hears Daddy's voice, or about that excited/happy grunty sound she makes when
she catches Momma returning to the room after a 5 minutes' absence? Where is
the song about how fast she is learning, and how many things she is learning?
How she is rolling, but it still fills her with wonder and confusion. She's not
sure how she did it, and the look on her face is priceless. Where's the song
about the first time she grabbed the ring on the baby gym?
And where is the parody about the 2.5 year old big brother
who loves baby sister so fiercely, his love literally hurts? Where is the
parody about the little boy learning to speak and the sweet sound of his voice
as he repeats "Flop on the floor" while you read him a book, or sings
"Jesus Loves Me," or repeats his bedtime prayer, or tries out a new
German word, or calls his baby sister's and big brother's names? Where is the
parody about his silly smiley face with the huge smiles, big dimples, squinty
eyes and wrinkled nose? Where is the "parody" about how impossibly adorable he
is? Where is the "parody" about how he tries to care for and entertain his
sister? Where is the mom song about how he looks up to big brother and how much
he loves his brother? Where is the song about how excited he is when it's
Mommy's turn to put him down for nap and he says "Daddy kiss, Mommy
nappie?" Where is the mom parody about how adorable he is with the
Hungarian Goulash all over his face, or his request for "bread, cheese,
and haim" (ham) for lunch? Where is the song about how he loves to play Holy
Communion and points out every cross, saying “Jesus, cross”?
And where is the mom parody about the wonder of watching
your 7 year old read fluently in English and German? Where is the song about
how loving he is toward his siblings? Where is the recognition of the fact that
if you bring the baby to his room to wake him up, he wakes happy and full of
life, wanting to hold and kiss her? Where is the song about how he watches out
for his younger brother when Mom and Dad are busy with other things? Where is
the song about his goofy noises and beautiful songs that make his baby sister
smile, coo, and giggle like she does for no one else? Where is the mom song about his
half toothless grin and his excitement over the play they did yesterday in
class? Where is the song that celebrates the way he tells stories about Grandpa
Rick as if he remembers them himself, even though he was 10 months old when
Grandpa died? Where is the song about how he pulls the scrapbooks off the shelf
and sits and pages through them for hours or how he suddenly started reading
chapter books on his own? Where is the song about how he loves to read his
German Bible and can repeat the Biblical stories and their meanings in German
during a special children’s sermon, when you could never tell that story in
another language? Where is the song about how he loves to sing, and the beauty
of hearing him practice hymns and songs in German with his Daddy accompanying
on the piano?
I understand humor. I understand that motherhood is hard
sometimes. But is that really the motherhood we want the world to always,
always see? A world that is hurting precisely because it's swallowed the lie that children are inconveniences and hardships and dismissive of that hurt? A world that
discards children, has disdain for them, or is hurting in not being able to
have them? Why don’t we show the world that we are grateful for the amazing
gift of our children? Let’s show them how we don’t know what to do with our
hands when we’re not holding a child because it’s so natural and so a part of
who we are…and that’s a good thing. Let’s show them what a privilege it is to
watch them grow and learn. Let’s show them that being a mother is a huge part
of who we are, and there is nothing wrong with that! Let's talk about how you love them so much sometimes you ache. Let's talk about how it's nice when they sleep, but you still really miss them, and sometimes you just want to hold them while they sleep. God has given me these
beautiful gifts. I want to delight in them.
Moms and Dads, I want to know: What are some of the beautiful, hilarious, joyful things you love about your children and your vocation? Post some in the comments!
