Thanks For Giving: Thankless Mom Moment Rewards

It’s true that as a mom our joy and reward is all the happy moments. It’s loving our children and watching them grow.

It’s also true that being a mom is a 24/7, 365 day a year job. There are no days off. The pay sucks. The vacation? Well, it’s often more work than the day-to-day grind. Being a mom is a tough job. It’s a full-time, selfless gig with little, or no thanks in many departments. But, sometimes those thankless tasks have their rewards. Maybe they don’t show up right away, but in the end they make the struggle, or fight, worthwhile.

Here’s a few “thankless mom moments” and their rewards:

Teaching Manners
Repeating please and thank you until your head explodes. You’ll feel your heart swell when you hear a tiny thank you after someone gives your toddler something.

Housework
No one ever thanks you for cleaning up pears that are stuck to the wall. Or washing cloth diapers. Doing laundry. Dishes. The reward from cleaning comes with relaxing in a chore free house. Even if only for a day. Okay, let’s be real, an hour.

Discipline
There’s never been a time my toddler thanked me for putting her in time out. But even just one compliment about how well she behaved when I wasn’t around, well, that’s thanks enough.

Sickness
No one says thank you when they vomit in my face. Ever. Or when I change diarrhea stained sheets at two am. For the third time. But when someone feels sick and looks to me for comfort and cuddles. That’s kind of like a super power.

Potty training
Really. Your pre-teen should be throwing you a party.

Watching the clock
Sleep routines, getting your kiddo to school or practice on time. If it wasn’t for you they’d be tired, cranky and late.

Cooking
A mother sustains life in many ways. Yes, microwave dinners count.

Cleaning Up
Making my kids clean up after themselves has never felt like a rewarding job. Until my daughter started putting her empty dishes in the sink without being asked.

Changing diapers
Even diaper changing gives your child reassurance that someone they love is always there when they need them.

Spending time with your kids
Reading, fort building, playing at the park, or crafts. Even if they don’t remember all these times, you’re still helping them learn something: imagination, hand-eye-coordination, reading, creativity. All these things play a huge part in who they become someday.

Making them eat their veggies
When your child finally eats a piece of food that you’ve continuously offered over the years, it’s a small victory.

Sleepless nights
It seems like forever. When your kids need you at night. You only get a few short years to be a brave, super hero.

Tantrum Control
When you learn how to handle tantrums, you teach your child how to express and handle emotions. You also learn a little about yourself a long the way.

Not getting to pee alone
You quickly learn how to appreciate every quite moment you have to yourself. Even if it’s peeing alone.

Groceries
The Food Fairy fills our cabinets, fridge, freezer and pantry every month in our house. When she gets the day off, everyone has cereal and popcorn for dinner. So, thanks to mom for making sure there are fruits, veggies, vitamins and other healthy things to grow on.

During this month of thankfulness, don’t forget to thank yourself. Even though you might not hear it a lot, or ever, you’re doing yourself, your child and the world a lot by putting time, energy and love into your family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christina is a stay-at-home mom who lives in Denver with her husband, two daughters and a cat who’ll never forgive her for having children. You can find her cleaning cracker crumbs and juice spills out of the fish tank at: raisinsandgoldfish.com

Author: Christina Antus