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Mother’s Day Series: My Wake-Up Call – Makeba G of MELISASource.com

Our Mother’s Day Series continues with Makeba G. of MELISASource.com. She is someone who I met during a twitter hop and let me tell you, she is a breath of fresh air! Always posting something uplifting and you can feel her smile through her posts! Please welcome her as she shares with our Houseful her thoughts on motherhood. 

 

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a mother. As a child, I did remember doing more for my dolls than the average little girl would do. I sewed clothes for them by hand, using scraps from my mother’s leftover material that she had lying around from her sewing projects. Since I had two beds in my room, the other one was their dwelling space—never my toy box or a shelf. I had all of the ‘unnecessary accessories’ for them that a little girl could ask for, and whatever my parents chose not to buy, I did my best to make myself. See, in my eyes they were not just dolls—they were my babies. And as their mother I felt that it was my role to keep them looking their best and safely tucked in bed every day and night.

 

In my little-girl mind, I thought that was the only thing that being a mother was about.

 

Fast-forward to today, and now my four ‘babies’ are running around and bustling about; yelling at each other, eating everything in sight and calling or texting me every two minutes to ask for something or tell me about some last-minute item they need for school. If they are all in the same place for more than an hour (minus the car rides) then it is a miracle. When they were little babies it wasn’t as hard: I bathed and dressed them, drove them to the sitter and went to work, picked them up at the end of the day, drove home, fed them and prepared them for bed. No sweat. It wasn’t until they grew older that I found out how challenging and stressful motherhood can be.

 

My four children are in four different age ranges: one is about to enter college, one just entered high school, and there is the elementary student and lastly the toddler. These are four vastly different dynamics—and that is why I oftentimes feel like I am four mothers instead of one.

 

Because of the wide age range between my children, I remain in a constant state of shifting my communication and parenting methods back and forth: I cannot talk to my eighteen year-old the same way that I talk to my ten year-old, and I can’t handle my five year-old the same way as my 15 year-old. Each of them are going through their own major life stages, and I must always be sure that I am giving an equal share of guidance and attention, all while trying to remember everyone’s teachers, friends(and their parents), school functions and extra-curricular activities, homework projects, etc. etc. etc.

 

It takes true diligence just to keep up!

 

Then there is the emotional aspect. There are moments of worrying if the oldest will do well once in college; or if the youngest is getting enough nutrients in their diet. There are the sleepless nights of going to bed frustrated and the mornings of driving to work angry or hurt because of something that has been done or said by one of them. Although these times are plentiful, they are balanced with the times of excitement hearing that they got an ‘A’ on a big test, and the joys of seeing them succeed at trying something new or winning a game. I can honestly say that motherhood truly defines the term ‘emotional rollercoaster’.

 

Being a mother of any amount of children of any age is hard work. And I am a witness that the more children that you have, the more challenging that it becomes—indeed a far cry from those days of simply dressing my dolls, putting them in the bed and then going happily about the rest of my day. Over the years I have learned that it takes the patience of Job, the courage of David, and the strength of Samson to be a mother. It has tested me beyond my limits and has caused me to feel emotions that I never even knew I could feel, both good and bad. Yet in spite of all of this, out of all of the roles I have ever held in my life, I cannot think of one that I have ever been more proud of or more happier to be.

 

For me, being a mother without a doubt is the toughest job that I’ll ever love.

 

 

BIO:

Makeba Giles is a WAHM and the author and creative director of MELISASource.com, and inspirational blog. You can enjoy more of her adventures as TheBusyMom by visiting her website. You can also find her on Facebook.

 

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glamazini

Friday 15th of June 2012

I just got to read this post. Great perspective, thanks for sharing!

Winona

Saturday 12th of May 2012

As a mother of three boys (ages 12, 15, and 20) I can relate all to well to your story. Being a mother of multiple children is indeed a tough job. It is the loving smiles of children that somehow make it all worth it. Thanks for sharing your great story!

MELISASource

Sunday 13th of May 2012

Greetings Winona: I am so glad that you enjoyed this post and I truly agree that the smiles of children are what make all of the hard work and sacrifices worthwhile! Thank you so much for commenting! :)

Teandra

Friday 11th of May 2012

I can't even imagine have 1 kid let alone 4. I applaud both of you! Good job and happy Mother's Day to you all.

MELISASource

Sunday 13th of May 2012

Greetings Teandra: Thank you so very much for the well-wishes! I am glad that you enjoyed this post and I appreciate you commenting! :)

Jeff T

Thursday 10th of May 2012

Awesome article Makeba! Thank you so much for sharing this.

MELISASource

Friday 11th of May 2012

Greetings Jeff -- and welcome! :)

I am glad that you enjoyed this special Mother's Day article! Thanks so much for your kind words and for stopping by, and I hope that you continue to visit often! :)

Val B

Thursday 10th of May 2012

I can relate to this one. Having a 10, 8 and 18 month old, I can feel the pull on all sides to make sure all three boys get what they need. Yet, even when they drive me batty, I love to see how well they are growing. Keep nurturing. Great post and thanks for introducing me to House of Nicholes.

MELISASource

Thursday 10th of May 2012

Greetings Val -- and welcome! :)

Yes the pull on all sides is definitely there at all times (especially when all 4 of them are trying to talk to me at the same time! lol) and it can truly be a challenging thing to deal with! It really is the joy of watching them grow that really makes it all worthwhile! Thanks so much for your kind words and for stopping by, and I hope that you continue to visit often! :)

Mrs. Houseful

Thursday 10th of May 2012

Val, isn't it interesting to have such a large space of children? The Houseful is 11, 3 and 16 month old twins, and let me tell ya, there are some days where I want to give up! Literally. However, when they are all together and laughing because the cellist (my 11 year old) is allowing all of them to climb over him as he pretends to sleep, then it makes it a little easier to handle. I love my children, and if I were to have more, I would love them just as well, but I certainly think that those parents who have more than four are automatically considered for sainthood! Thank YOU for stopping by, and I hope that you come and visit often.

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