1988 May/June issue Part 3

Rent-A-Mom
Kathy Lewis sent me this advertisement that appeared in her local paper in California.

She writes: “The most distressing part of this ‘service’ is the implication that Mom can so easily be replaced, particularly when she ‘just doesn’t want to do it.’ What a shame that so many are missing the true joy of mothering which is daily, unconditional, and self-giving.
  I am so thankful that during the years when my three daughters were small I could not afford frequent childcare. There were no day care centres. I was home every day and in our daily routine there was such security and comfort. Of course there were days when I was exhausted, bored, sick, irritated, or discouraged. But there was no alternative; I did whatever was next on the list of sheer survival instinct. Most days were a happy blur of story books, peanut butter sandwiches cut into triangles and soup (with jelly spread on crackers is they had been extra good), tricycles, and long peaceful naps. (No matter how hectic your day may seem now, the time will come- we promise!- when they’ll appear “a happy blur.” EE)
  The long days of mothering small children now seem to me to have been short and fleeting. As God has promised, faithfulness to this calling has brought rewards beyond my deepest longings. The future is bright for my dear ones as they near the time of becoming mothers too, but there are days when I would give a lot to see those precious little faces and bury my face deep in the neck of a sleepy girl again.”

One of the slick catalogues which pour into my mailbox contained recently a “survival manual” entitled Where’s Mom Now That I Need Her? I lament the need of such a book for the hundreds of thousands of children who must come home from school to an empty house and need help in surviving on their own- with recipes, remedies, first aid, laundry, bike care, and “helpful hints.”
  For you mothers who are there for your children, stick with it, for God’s sake, no matter what pressures are brought to bear upon you. And for you who want to be there and so far have not found a way to do it, ask God to show you if He has one. Trust Him and do whatever He says.