Parenthood...

I have been pondering more and more as each day passes what being a mother, a father, and a parent (in general means). In this PhD program I am constantly facing scrutiny for being a stay at home mom whose first priority is her child. I get told that I need to put Ellie in daycare, hire a babysitter, have family take over some of the care giving role. I get the message that I need not put aside my potential career just because I am a mom. Justin and I made the choice PRIOR to getting pregnant that we wouldn't have a baby if we weren't in a financial position for one of us to stay home. We wanted to have a child to spend time with, nurture, teach, watch grow and love each moment of their and our lives. Ellie has been away from Justin and I a total of like 4 hours....some say that is excessive....but I say that is what we WANT!! Justin and I had our chance to travel, attend events we wanted, and make our own plans selfishly and I am SO glad that we did, but now it is Ellie's turn.

As I have said since day one - Our lives revolve around Ellie; Ellie's life doesn't revolve around ours. Some will say that this thinking will produce a selfish and spoiled child, but I politely disagree. Being a parent is a SUPER hard job and anyone that says anything different is not doing it wholeheartedly, however it is the biggest and most rewarding job I've ever or will ever have.

Here are some musings from others (random people) on parenthood: 

It's not only children who grow.  Parents do too.  As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours.  I can't tell my children to reach for the sun.  All I can do is reach for it, myself.  ~Joyce Maynard

You [mothers] are the real builders of the nation wherever you live, for you have created homes of strength and peace and security. These become the very sinew of any nation.” Gordon B. Hinckley, “Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov 1996, 67

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just like people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is just like an old time rail journey ... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."— Jenkin Lloyd Jones

"...one of the greatest things a father can do for his children is to love their mother." - Theodore Hesburgh

Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind”  - in James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency

There comes a time when a woman needs to stop thinking about her looks and focus her energies on raising her children.  This time comes at the moment of conception.  A child needs a role model, not a supermodel.  ~Astrid Alauda, on the "hot mom" trend

Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.
-- Antoine De Saint-Exupery

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
-- Hodding Carter, Jr.

You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once.
-- Polish Proverb

"Fathers, by divine decree, you are to preside over your family units. This is a sobering responsibility and the most important one you will ever assume, for it is an eternal responsibility. You place the family in its proper priority. It's the part of your life that will endure beyond the grave." --- Elder L. Tom Perry

"Most men worry about succeeding in their life's work and spend much time and effort at their profession. But I've learned that the way to put one's professional life in order is to put one's personal life in order. How can we be adequate at anything professionally without being adequate as men, husbands, and fathers first?"

James E. Faust

"A father carries pictures where his money used to be." ~ Author Unknown 

What's done to children, they will do to society.  ~Karl Menninger

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it - Clarence B. Kelland

A good reminder:  

There are little eyes upon you
and they're watching night and day.

There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And a little girl who's dreaming
of the day she'll be like you.

You're the little angel's idol,
you're the wisest of the wise.
In her little mind about you
no suspicions ever rise.

She believes in you devoutly,
holds all you say and do;
She will say and do, in your way
when she's grown up just like you.

There's a wide-eyed little girl
who believes you're always right;
and her eyes are always opened,
and she watches day and night.

You are setting an example
every day in all you do;
For the little girl who's waiting
to grow up to be like you.

(c) 1997 Kimberly Sedlacek

And some funny ones too :)

There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you.
-- Peter de Vries

If your kids are giving you a headache, follow the directions on the aspirin bottle, especially the part that says "keep away from children."  ~Susan Savannah