3 Day Weekend?

Today is Monday, Martin Luther King Day.  My office of employment is closed, so I am enjoying a quiet day at home with my 2 kids while my husband is at work.  We slept in, ate fruit salad for breakfast; I worked on some things in the house, and the girls made a fort with all of my couch cushions, part of my kitchen table and multiple blankets.   I've baked a breakfast snack for the week, helped the girls make chocolate pudding, done laundry, etc.  It's been fabulous day.

While I was scrolling IG during lunch, I saw this video of a working Mom complain about the 3 day weekend.  She said that it was so much work.  The kids were out of their routine, and the weekend was just so hard. She does not like 3 day weekends. She mentioned that her opinion was not a popular one.

I watched the video, and my heart broke for her.  Not out of pity but realizing that a part of her was not enjoying motherhood.  She was in the hard.  Dealing with the difficulties and struggling to embrace the good.

I am not judging her.  Truly, I am not.  While I appreciate the brutal honesty, I can't help but ponder how perspective is everything.

Let's be honest - today has been lovely but it's more work to be home with my kids than at my normal job.  I've run the dishwasher twice - normally it's just one.  But I look at my messy house, and I feel a sense of gratefulness.  

I am grateful that my office is closed.

I am grateful that my girls play so well together.

I am grateful that I got some chores done around the house.

I am grateful for a day where I didn't go anywhere.

I am grateful for the time with my family.

As a working mom, I don't get a lot of 'free' weekdays with my kids.  This time together is special and wonderful.  My perspective is positive.

I've wanted to be a mom my entire life.   While I miss aspects of my life before kids, nothing compares to the gift that I have now.

I hope and pray that the Mother (in the video) finds joy in the journey.  As for me, I'm going to choose to embrace the hard, the good, and everything in between.   

To quote Ecclesiastes 3:1: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

This season in motherhood is a wave.  It will pass and another way will come.  For now, just enjoy the wave, pray and do your best.  And most of all rely on the Savior that knows all.

Birth Rates Are Going Down

Today, I read an article about how birth rates are going down.  People are not having kids. It's all over the world.  If you think about world history, the trend is astonishing.  My husband and I chatted about it.  He asked if I was surprised, and I said no.

2 women at work.  Their kids are grown.  Both have told me that all the grown children do not what their own kids.  The women have accepted it but are definitely a little sad about the realization.

Another women at work.  2 of her grown children got married last year.  Her statement: "I hope they have kids."

I can see the decreased birth rate.

There’s a guy engaged, in his twenties, getting married this Spring.  An older co-worker (with grown kids) asked him if he (the young guy) wanted kids.  His response was so telling: “I don’t know.  Like, I hear you guys say that it’s great but then I hear you complain about how hard and expensive it is.  I just don’t know if I want it.”  (BTW, this is his same answer that he’s given before.)

Another guy, newly wed, in his early thirties, the same answer.

I've gotten mixed reactions over having another child.  To anyone looking in, my life with 2 was finally getting easier.  My preschooler will go to kindergarten in the Fall.  My older daughter is very independent.  When I told some friends that I was pregnant again, they gave me a weird look.  Another asked why would I want to go through with this all over again.  One asked if the baby was an accident.  

While some are happy for me, others see the stress.  The hard.  The money.  The sacrifices.

This pregnancy has been plagued with negativity from doctors at the OBGYN.  I've gotten pushback, weird comments, and have just had odd moments.  At one point, I defended my pro life stance.  It's spiritual warfare on a different level.  Satan doesn't like children.  It's clear to see.

I feel the stress of having another child.  Trying to find childcare, wondering I should be a stay at home, contemplating what new scarifies have to be made.  While I keep this to myself and don't broadcast it at work, in my weakness, I wonder, how is this all going to work?

But then I remember Christ.  He gave me this child.  He planned all of my kids.  While I have 3 (one in my belly) on earth and 1 in heaven, He knows how this is going to turn out.   Christ gave me this gift so I just need to pray, ask for wisdom, and receive Godly counsel.  Do my best.  Work with my husband on tangible solutions, and move forward.

I'm not going to solve the birth rate issue.  My 3 kids are not a dent in the statistic.  What I can do is praise my Creator for this gift, speak positively about the blessing of my girls, and be the best Christian that I can be.  I need to do my part and let Christ do the rest.