Bearing One Another's Burdens - It's Not Just About Carrying Heavy Stuff.

There are times that I don't like being a mother. (Gasp! Did I actually just write that? Am I allowed to admit that?!) I mean, I always love being a mother. I love my kids. I love my life. But sometimes the day to day grind wears me down. A lot. The daily battle of getting the kids to clean their rooms, do their jobs, brush their teeth Every. Single. Day. (multiple times!), be nice to one another. I feel like I say the same things over and over again. I know I yell too much.

This morning started out just like usual:
Telling Jared to go get dressed.
Checking on him 5 minutes later, finding him in his bedroom, completely naked, sitting on his floor playing with toys.
Starting to yell, telling him if he wasn't dressed by the time I counted to 10, he was grounded from everything under the sun. Then, telling him he had 5 minutes to have his room clean before he was in big trouble.
Getting distracted, coming back 15 minutes later, finding him sitting on his floor playing with toys.
Starting to yell. Telling him he has 1 minute to get all his cars picked up.
Hearing the baby cry. Going to pick her up, hoping that Jared would get started on his room.
Coming back 5 minutes later, hearing Megan and Jared happily chatting as they finished his morning jobs together.

Wait. What was that?

When I asked Megan why she was helping Jared with his jobs, she looked at me the way only an eight year old girl can, with exasperation and slight eye rolling, an unspoken"duh, mom." "It's called bearing one another's burdens, mom. It's not just about carrying heavy stuff, mom. Sometimes it means helping your little brother pick up his legos."

Megan will be baptized in a little over a month and we've been really working with her during Family Home Evening to make sure she understands what that means, the covenants she'll be making.

Mosiah 18: 8, 10 (18:5 - 11)

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being ^abaptized in the ^bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Did I mention that there are times that I really love being a mom?