Some Awesome Moms

Mother’s Day is tomorrow!  That means that today is my last day writing about my favorite mothers besides my own, so I feel the need to lump several into one post.

 

Some of my favorite mothers are the people in my life who show me what motherhood means.  Those people would be my friends – women who allow me to see when they are frustrated or overworked or wornout, but who also email me the cute pictures of their kids and call with funny and sweet stories and invite me to their birthday parties.  I’m beyond blessed to have some wonderful mothers as my close friends, and I hope they will be a wellspring of advice when Andy and I start a family.  So, here is a little about each of my friends:

 

Laura with her husband, Dennis, Aliye and Jace

Laura Mabry: Laura is my high school best friend.  We actually met in middle school when she moved in two doors down from my family, and some of my best childhood memories are with her.  She was the first of my friends to get married and the first to have a baby.  Her oldest, Aliye, is 5 years old and her youngest, Jace, is less than a year.  Through parenting, Laura has taught me what it means to love children forever.  Staying pregnant hasn’t been easy for Laura, and in between Aliye and Jace, she suffered a few miscarriages.  Even though she’ll only meet those children in heaven, Laura has special ways in which she remembers those babies on earth.  She won’t let them be forgotten or overlooked in her heart.  Laura has shown me that what everyone says about a mother’s love is true – it begins as soon as she knows she is a mom, and it will not die.  Aliye and Jace are so blessed to grow up with a mother who loves them forever and always.  I have complete confidence that there is nothing those two children could ever do that would make Laura love them less, and I love that about her.

 

Emily, James, and Harison

Emily Holland: Emily is one of my best friends from college.  She got married a week later than Laura, and her oldest, James, is two and her youngest, Harrison, is still in her belly – only four weeks or so from being born.  Emily’s kids are the ones I hear the most about.  She might live in Louisiana, but I feel like I know James as well as if I saw him every weekend because she is quick to share stories and send pictures.  Emily is an awesome parent.  She used to be an elementary school teacher, and she raises James with the same discipline and love she used in teaching.  What I love the most about Emily is that all her decisions regarding how she raises James are thoughtful and purposeful.  I remember her telling me one time that she was having trouble with James running away from her when she told him it was time to get dressed.  She identified his response as a behavior issue, and I asked her how she handled it.  She responded (like the situation was a no-brainer), “Well, you know he is 2. He wants to be independent and make his own choices, so I just laugh and tickle him and then ask if he wants to put on his pants or shirt first.”  She followed up by saying that the important part of the conflict for her was that he did what she told him to do – put on his clothes – but she understood the important part for him was that he got to decide what he wanted to do, and she let him have that independence.  I love that Emily sees the big picture when it comes to parenting.  She and her husband are quick to consider how their parenting decisions will affect the person James becomes in the future and they, like my own mom, support the belief that if the behavior won’t be cute when he is 15, it shouldn’t be treated like it is cute when he is 2.  I’m so proud to know Emily and call her friend, and I can’t wait to see what type of men her sweet boys become.

 

Rebecca and her sweet niece
 Doesn't it show what an awesome mom she'll be?

Rebecca Warren: Rebecca is another friend from college.  She and Emily actually grew up together.  Rebecca got married six years ago and is pregnant with her first baby, Davis Matthew.  I haven’t had the opportunity yet to see how Rebecca will raise Davis, but I have had the opportunity to see how badly she wanted him way before she was pregnant.  Rebecca reminds me of Hannah in the Old Testament who begged and begged God to give her a child and promised to dedicate her baby to him if he would.  God gave her Samuel whom Hannah later sent to live with a priest so that he could be raised in God’s house.  I love Hannah because it shows that a mother’s love is deep and desperate and self-sacrificing.  Rebecca is the same way.  She wanted Davis deeply before she ever knew him, and she and her husband sought God desperately to bless them with him.  They believed God and his promises to give them children, and in August, we will welcome their precious baby.  Rebecca has shown me that much of parenting is relying on the Lord.  Getting pregnant, having healthy babies and caring for less than healthy ones, and raising children to love God can’t be done without the Lord’s hand on the process.  Rebecca shows me that God must be invited into every step of the journey called motherhood, and because she relies so fully on the Lord, I can’t wait to see what plans God has for Davis Matthew Warren.

 

Laura Smith: Laura is a new friend. I met her at my Bible Study in Charlotte.  She might be a new friend, but she is one of those people I feel like I’ve known a long time.  I know I’ve said this before, but she and the other women in my Bible Study have been God’s greatest blessing to me in Charlotte (besides my wonderful husband, of course!).  All of the women in my Bible Study have shown me wonderful traits of mothers.  They care for children with special needs and children who have been adopted from overseas.  They sacrifice day in and day out for children of all ages, and they continue to speak with love and pride about accomplishments ranging from learning ABC’s to getting engaged.  While they are all awesome mothers, Laura is the one I’ve had the opportunity to get to know the best, and what I love about her parenting is that she shows me what it is to be a family.  Laura’s husband has a job that allows him to be home at regular times and on weekends. So from Laura, I hear about the ways she carves out time for family activities.  She and her husband go together to take their 2 year old, Harper, to the park or hiking or out to eat.  Laura talks about the importance of having dinner together as a family every night, and she and her husband give Harper baths together and read the Bible with her.  I also love that Laura makes it a priority to give Harper time with her daddy.  On Wednesday nights, Laura goes to our Bible Study, and she and I usually exercise or grab dinner before study.  Those nights are BJ’s nights with his daughter.  He picks her up from daycare and takes her out to dinner before spending special time with her that night – though it isn’t rare for him to send Laura a picture or video text sharing their adventures.  Laura reminds me that parenting is not all about mothering – it is about creating a family unit and carving out time for a dad to have individual relationships with his children.

 

Happy Mother’s Day to my sweet friends!  I love all of you, and I’m so thankful God has put you in my life to be a model of motherhood.