I do it all…
Can I get an Amen? I mean as moms we do it all! Right?! When we get ready to go on a vacation the standing joke at our house is that my husband just has to show up with his clothes. All other details are thought of. And this doesn’t just apply to special events like trips, but day-to-day life too. Moms’ brains are constantly thinking, worrying, planning and so are our bodies. Our job is never done, many times thankless, and therefore, I can say, “I do it all.”
And I’m lying.
That’s a complete lie. I think I do it all. I say I do in petty arguments about whose turn it is to change the stinky diaper. I may even vent about it to my girlfriends on a girls’ night out. But it’s a boldfaced lie. I don’t do it all.
I don’t winterize the snowblower. Is that even a thing? It just doesn’t stay parked in the garage all year needing nothing? Heck, I don’t even use the snowblower if I can help it!
I don’t pull things in and out of the attic each fall and spring. All the gazillions of plastic ride on toys, lawn furniture, and patio décor don’t get in and out of the garage on my accord.
I don’t think about oil changes, washer fluid, car batteries, dehumidifiers, sump pump back-ups, and a million other things I don’t know the name for that keep our house and cars afloat.
I don’t even pull the garbage cans out on Monday mornings so I can get straight to school.
I could do these things if I had to. I would do these things if my family needed it. But the wonderful blessing of having a great spouse is that I don’t have to.
I know I need to appreciate my husband more for all the things he does to keep the house running smoothly, the kids provided for and loved, and myself taken care of. I might be managing more of the day-to-day things like grocery shopping, paying bills, washing clothes and such, so it’s easier to say I do it all. But I SO appreciate that I really don’t.
If you are like me, you may get frustrated in those moments when you seem to be doing it all and just need a “Thanks hon. I really appreciate all you do.” Guess what? Your husband might be feeling the same way. So the next time you see him out in the garage, doing something that you didn’t even know had to be done, say “Thanks babe, I’m so glad the lawn mower blade is sharpened.”
It can make all the difference.
And for all the single parents out there that really do do it all, I am in awe.