Perched on the kitchen counter, a crock pot is cooking a roast. Every once in a while, steam bubbles up from around the edges of the lid, serving as a distant reminder of the constant yet often overlooked daily responsibilities of a mother. While the crock pot cooks dinner, mom can tend to the other duties in her life—those that don’t appear on a resume and receive no monetary compensation. Sometimes, being a mom is like being a crock pot—always busy providing warm, cozy treats to share, yet silently sweating in the background of life! Just as the roast will be placed in an ornate ceramic casserole dish before being served, mom can be forgotten and dismissed in an instant. But in a pinch, both mom and the crock pot are there to get things done, handle dinner on a hurried day, and provide more time for the important things in life.
The Reality of Motherhood
The great debate of motherhood begins during pregnancy. Women get a firsthand taste of what it means to be a mother, realizing that a little (sometimes not-so-little) alien has taken over their body, making them tired, nauseous, swollen, and miserable. This is just a tiny glimpse of what is to come. From the very beginning, moms seem to be wired—perhaps even genetically predisposed—to begin a process that is entirely selfless. Moms notice this but often push the thoughts aside, realizing that these little people who call their name, make demands, lose control, and need, need, and need will someday soon be grown and gone. But being a mom isn’t only about sacrifice, work, or being unappreciated. What it means to be a mom is living; and, like most things in life, it’s not fully appreciated until years later, perhaps while rocking grandchildren to sleep.
What no one can understand unless they are a mother themselves is that sometimes, smelling your baby’s hair is enough to make your body experience a positive shift in endorphins. The way children do something so completely cute, funny, and free that it makes you want to cry and rejoice in the fact that you were able to witness it. Walking through their room at 2 a.m., seeing them tucked under the covers, snoring ever so slightly, still trying to pop their feet out from where you tucked them in—that is what it means to be a mom. Being a mom means knowing that they don’t care if you woke up early to fix them breakfast when cereal would have been easier, but doing it anyway—not for a reward, but because you really wanted them to eat before school. It’s dropping them off at school in the morning, letting out a sigh of relief as they are, yes, finally out of your hair—and then finding yourself missing them before noon. It’s that feeling you get as you’re in the shower with shampoo in your hair when the phone rings and your stomach dives toward the drain, knowing something is wrong and your children need you.
Being a mom is not knowing—but feeling like, as long as they are with you, they are safe. Sure, other people can take care of them, keep them entertained, but only you have the God-given right to keep them safe. It’s watching Bambi, seeing Bambi’s mom lie on her to keep her warm through the snowstorm, and welling up with tears that seem rooted in your soul because you know you would do the same, feel the same way, and quite possibly lose your life to save theirs. What it means to be a mom is that life is often routine and non-stimulating. It means handing over some passions, cravings, and inklings from the person you were before. Being a mom means waiting, hurrying, and slowing down all at once. It’s the way you can either feel annoyed at your grassroots or elated when you hear them say the word “mom.” It means always being touched—physically or emotionally. Being a mom also means being stripped down to the naked child of your own past, having to undo, relearn, or figure out how to do things right for your children, and giving them answers to questions you probably couldn’t answer for yourself.
What it means to be a mom is that you are like that old and faithful crock pot, cooking a roast so you can run the kids to baseball practice and dance lessons. There will be stains down the side of the pot that no sponge can wipe away, and sometimes it’s packed so full of nourishment that the lid doesn’t fit tightly, but it cooks anyway. Like the crock pot, moms have timers that tell them when they are ready, done, or need more time. They don’t require much maintenance, are non-stick, trustworthy, and easy to use—but even easier to enjoy! Just like the crock pot fills the house with a special aroma that sends yummy thoughts through everyone who walks through your doors, moms do the same for their families. The best part of all is that no matter what you’re cooking, the crock pot has an innate sense of knowing when it’s perfect—just like a mom does. Being a mom means being slow and steady, like the crock pot, and knowing that every recipe you read in a book will turn out perfectly once you add your personal spin. As the crock pot gets older, it may not get as hot or be used as often, but it stays constant in the cabinets of life, always waiting to be useful again. Being a mom is knowing that what your life is now is only a fleeting image of what your life will be like in 20 years, when, suddenly, without reason or compassion, you—like the crock pot—are stuck in the cabinets, waiting for a meal to be together. But you wait anyway.
