5 Things My Mom Never Stopped Doing for Me

As a mom of small children, it is sometimes tempting to look forward to the days when my life is not so exhausting.  Taking care of the needs of children is a 24/7 job, and I'll admit that while I don't want to “wish the years away”, I do sometimes look forward to the day when things will get a little easier.

But even though the days of diaper changes, constant snack-making, chauffeuring, and refereeing arguments may come to an end, a mother's work never ends until she leaves this earth.

Now that I'm grown, I think sometimes my mom works harder than ever in her role as mother.

Here are 5 things she has never stopped doing for me, and possibly does even more so now that I'm a grown woman with a family of my own:

1. Pray for me

I know my mom prayed for her children all throughout our growing up years.  She prayed that our hearts would be tender toward God's working in our lives, that we would choose good friends, and make wise decisions.  She prayed for our physical safety.  She prayed for our futures.

And now that the future is here, the things she needs to pray for are possibly more important than ever.

Her children now have families of their own, and the number of people and needs on her prayer list have multiplied.

So while she no longer has any children in the nest, my mother's job of prayer has never ended; it has only increased.

2. Encourage me

When I was little, it was mama who would tell me not to worry about the girls at school who were being mean to me.  It was mama who told me what I great job I did at my piano recital. It was mama who smiled and told me to go for it when I wanted to write a song or write a book or start a lemonade stand.

Now that I'm grown, it's still mama who lifts me up when I'm discouraged and points me to the truth of God's Word that I need to meditate upon.  It's still mama who praises me when I'm excited about an accomplishment.  It's still mama who doesn't try to stop me when I decide to pursue some crazy idea, but believes in me instead.

Yes, my mother is still my encourager.

3. Care for me

Whether it's fighting my way through morning sickness during pregnancy, or dealing with a chronic illness, my mom is the first one to see how she can take care of me.

She'll make food for my family or watch my kids so I can rest or help me clean my house.

Just like a little child wants their mama when they are sick, a grown woman still finds much comfort when being cared for by her mother.

I'm thankful my mom has never stopped taking care of me when I need it.

4. Inconvenience herself

Moms of little children are inconvenienced every day in many ways – foregoing sleep, spending time cleaning up messes rather than relaxing with a good book, or making an emergency search of the house to find the library book their child lost.

Now that I'm grown, my mom still inconveniences herself in many ways.

She picks up the phone even when she suspects it's a last minute request for babysitting, and she says yes even though she really is too tired.

She sits at home by herself late at night while my dad comes to bail us out of a broken-down car situation.

She welcomes me into her home any time of the day or night, even if it means foregoing her plans to accomplish some much-needed things on her to-do list.

Mothering a grown child is not convenient, but my mom keeps plugging along at this motherhood gig anyway.

5. Listen to me

A good mom listens to her child's disappointments and excitements, even when they seem ridiculous.

Whether I was crying about a popped balloon as a child or a burnt supper as an adult, my mom would still listen without dismissing my distress as unimportant.

If I call my mom with something trivial, even if the phone call is interrupting her day, she listens to me ramble on without showing any impatience or disinterest.

What an awesome mom!

I hope I can be like her some day when my own children are grown.