Sometimes, We Moms Just Need the Words...

Occasionally, I need to hear the words, “Robbie, you are a good mother.” I think all moms need to be encouraged that in raising our children we are not creating a future thug, bum or criminal. Or worse, a future politician. :0) We need to hear that in doing our best, we are handling the gifts God has given us with the proper mix of fragility and toughness.


We need that. I need that.

Last week, Noah experienced some allergies that turned into a cold that turned into an asthma attack. Not a severe one, but enough that we kept him home from school three days last week in order to make sure a severe one didn’t occur. I made him soup and gave him medicine. I talked with him and played with him and loved on him. Behaviors a good mother would employ.

But what sticks with me is how it all started. Allergies. I know Noah has a bit of an allergy to dogs but since he has become immune to Scooby I don’t worry about it much. The week before last, I took Scooby and Noah to the dog park and made Noah go in. A dog jumped on him to lick him and immediately his allergies flared up. This reaction, brought on by my insisting he go into the bark park, started the chain reaction that developed into cold and then his asthma attack.

Guilt. I believe guilt is a stalker to mothers.

On Sunday, two days ago, Noah seemed great. Completely over the allergy/cold/asthma illness. I breathed a sigh of relief and began planning to do all the things I didn’t get to do last week because I was home with a sick boy.

Yesterday morning, Noah got up, tired but okay. I fed him fruit salad, yogurt and a piece of raisin toast. He ate it up. But then…

“Mom, I don’t feel good.”

“What? Noah you HAVE to go to school. You don’t seem like you have a cold anymore.”

“It’s my stomach.”

Soon after, Noah began throwing up.

Guilt, my stalker, whispered, “That raisin bread was a bit old. You poisoned your child.”

Feeling horrible, I allowed Noah to stay home and recuperate from the evils of his mother. And the sickness, too.

On Facebook, I confessed my crime. My friend Paula came to my rescue. “Robbie, the cold that is going around right now ends in an upset stomach.”

What? You mean it’s not me? I didn’t poison my child?

Other mothers chimed in and told me that a piece of raisin bread couldn’t have done this. It must be a bug. Ahhh…

And many of those moms used the magic words of comfort I needed to hear: “You are a good mother.”

Sometimes I just need that.

We all do. Don’t you?


BTW: After being "sick" over and over and over yesterday, Noah seems better today, but quite weak. We're staying home. :0)