On Being a Mother

It's Wednesday and the prompt is "mom" which is very appropriate since Mother's Day is this coming Sunday. This story is for all the moms but especially for my own mom and mom-in-law. I love you!

Stars and moon glittered in the night sky, shining down with a silver glow. The world was quiet as she sat in her chair. The rockers creaked softly as she pushed back and forth. Her hands gently rubbed the baby's back. The crying had ended and now they sat together enjoying the peace of a sleeping world. She could feel the warmth of her little one cradled against her chest.
She leaned back against the chair, looking up at the ceiling. It hadn't been an easy day. In fact, it had been a terrible day. Her little one had been fussy and agitated with few breaks from tantrums. His swollen gums told her the reason for the distress, but it hadn't made it easier to cope with. There wasn't much she could do to relieve the pain of teething. Not much had been done that day except cuddling her little boy and hoping he would calm down. She had tried all the advice from her friends with varying degrees of success. The infant pain reliever had helped bring down the fever and allowed her son a brief nap, but it hadn't helped for long. He didn't like cold teething rings and wouldn't play with them until they were warmed. She tried rubbing his gums and all that did was make him fuss more. At length she had just resigned herself to spending the day with him attached to her. When her husband had gotten home, she'd handed him the fussy baby and said, "I don't care what we eat tonight as long as I don't have to cook it. You figure something out and then let me know."
She remembered shutting herself in their bedroom right afterward and sitting on the bed overwhelmed and exhausted. Nothing had been done all day. Her housework was still waiting to be done, she hadn't even had time for an actual shower. When she'd lamented on her Facebook at her lack of accomplishment, her mother had written the encouraging words, "No one said being a mother was easy. But it's definitely worth it. Chin up, the housework will still be there in the morning. Take care of your little one for today. Give yourself a hug. I love you! Call me if you need to talk."
Her mother-in-law had also been encouraging, "Don't worry too much about the house. It's not going anywhere. These days won't last forever. Kiss your baby and take a deep breath. You'll get through! If I were closer I'd come over to help out."
But it had seemed everyone else had other words for her. They were less encouraging and some downright hurtful. As she rocked her baby the messages floated back into her memory, stinging her again.
"If you'd put your baby on a proper schedule, this wouldn't be so difficult."
"Complaining won't help."
"If you didn't want things to be hard, why'd you have a baby in the first place?"
"I don't understand why such-and-such technique isn't working for you. It always works for my babies. Try again."
"This is why I have a cat."
"What did you think was going to happen when you had that baby?"
"The teething ring should work. If it didn't, you must have done something wrong."
On and on in her memory the messages continued. If not for the fact that it was well after midnight, she was tempted to call her mom right then. It wasn't fair. When she posted pictures of her little boy being adorable or posted things about how great being a mom was there were tons of likes and comments like "How precious!" and "You're so lucky!". As soon as things were more challenging, the support went away. Wasn't that backwards of how it should be? Shouldn't her friends rally around her and support her through the tough times?
As she continued to rock gently back and forth, she thought about what her mother had said when she'd first told her parents she was expecting. "There will be plenty of people to knock you down when things are tough. Just don't forget that for every tantrum, there are more giggles and smiles. For every setback, there's an advance. Being a mother isn't easy and it's not glamorous. But being a mother is worthwhile. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Take care of yourself and take care of your baby. If you do that, these days will be some of the happiest in your memory."
The baby shifted and whimpered.
"Hush, now," she whispered, holding him a little tighter against her. "Mommy's right here. You're okay." She rubbed his back and whispered to him until he calmed down again, the sound of her voice and her heartbeat lulling him back to sleep.
Her memory turned back to those times when life as a mother had been perfect. She remembered his first little smile. She remembered the first time he played peek-a-boo with her. She remembered that wondrous moment when the doctor had handed her this perfect, precious child.
Yes, today had been rough. But most days weren't like today. Most days were filled with giggles and smiles and firsts.
Her husband tiptoed into the room. "Are you coming to bed soon?"
"In a minute," she whispered. She walked to the crib and laid the little baby gently inside.
As the stars and moon continued to glitter overhead, she kissed her baby boy's head. Being a mother wasn't easy. But it was certainly worthwhile. It wasn't glamorous, but it was thrilling and fulfilling. Nothing anyone could say would change that. She walked into her own room and climbed into bed. As sleep took her, she knew that there was nothing she would rather be than a mother.