Thinking Forward

This article came across my computer at the perfect time for me. For the last several days, I could have used some "forward thinking" in my life. My one and only child, a mere toddler, has been in rare form lately. I have been doing my best to justify his actions (you know the drill) - "Maybe he doesn't feel good;" "I bet he's getting his 2 year molars;" "He must be tired;" "He must need to get out of the house." No matter the reason for the crankies, they were there and they were driving me nuts! A number of thoughts ran through my head, including "why do I want another one?," and "why do I stay home?." I know these thoughts are irrational, but I can't seem to help it. Then he does something cute, like kiss me without being asked or patting my head. It's then that I know the answers to my internal questions.

Thinking Forward by Marsha Maung
Sometimes it appears as though there isn't any point in cleaning up the house because the moment you're done picking the things up, cleaning, mopping and sweeping, the kids are going to do their thing and everything's going back to...being a mess! And after spending a considerable amount of time mulling in the kitchen cooking up a storm, all you get is 'yuck' or 'I don't want to eat'. And just when you thought you could spend a couple of hours relaxing in the tub with a book you've started reading AGES ago, the kids are fighting and tearing each others' hair out.
You sit there and wonder...gosh, is this what I bargained for? Is this what motherhood is all about?
I voiced my concern to a close friend whom I knew wouldn't think I was looney or a bad mother and this is what she said to me, "Appreciate the noise and the ruckus that they create now because there will come a time when YOU have to make a whole lot of noise for them to notice you. It's far off in the future...but the time will eventually come".
What she said struck a chord in me (although I sniggered in her face, rolled my eyes skyward and gave her a 'yeah, right' look) and I came home thinking. The kids were out in the in-laws' place, so, the house was pretty quiet then. There was nary a sound to be heard throughout my small but comfy condo. The only sound that I could hear was the sound of the fan spinning madly and my keyboard.
Sitting there, I imagined what it would be like to live in a home like this for the last 10, 20...or 30 years of my life. What an unbelievably scary thought? No kids screaming and knocking things over? No children to come complaining to you about how the other siblings have snatched his or her toy? No kids whining and pleading about that extra cookie before bedtime? What would life be like then?
It's when we do this type of forward thinking that we will appreciate the kind of noise that is here in the home now. We may define the noise that they make as 'stress' or 'annoying' but at the end of the day, it's precisely this type of noise that we will one day miss.
So, when you start thinking 'Is this what I bargained for? Is this what motherhood is all about', think forward and you'll start wishing that the day will never come.
About the Author
Marsha Maung is a freelance work@home graphic designer and writer who resides in Malaysia. She designs tshirts, apparels and print stuff for http://www.allmomstuff.com. For more information, please visit her website at http://www.marshamaung.com

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