I never...

You remember that game? You circle up with all your friends and confess to the things you’d “never” done. If someone else had also done this “thing” then they would have to drink (or in my friend circle, Mom, pray the rosary).

Things like…

I’ve never kissed a boy

I’ve never held hands on the band bus

I’ve never skipped school

I’ve never smoked

I’ve never had a* beer under age

(All things I have never done. Well, except the thing on the band bus.)

(*5 beers)

So, motherhood is a lot like a big giant game of  “I never”. For example…

I will never nurse a baby after he/she gets teeth.

I will never let the baby sleep in our bed.

I will never let the TV be a parent. 

I will never have a house full of Barbie dolls.

I will never yell at my kids for no reason.

I will never let my kids leave the house wearing crazy clothes.

I will never laugh (or take pictures) when my kids cry.

I will never lock myself in the closet and cry.

I will never threaten my children that they won’t see the light of day if they just don’t stop whateveritistheyaredoing right this instant.

I will never just let my kids decide what they want for dinner. By stopping at HEB. And letting them pick absolutely whatever they want. Nope. Never. 

I'd also never just let them dig into as much ice cream as they want.

I will never be mean to my kids.

I will never ignore my children.

(For the record, I don’t ignore them…I just invented a new “7 minutes in heaven” called “DO NOT talk to Mom for the first seven minutes we get home from school).

There’s also a game called “My kids will NEVER”… 

My kids will never fight.

For no reason.

Every time we get in the car.

My kids will never be disruptive at school.

My kids will never misbehave at church. Or school. Or Target. Or while sleeping. Because I think they could even manage that. 

My kids will never wear ridiculous clothes and think they look awesome. 

My kids will never pick their nose.

My kids will never be mean. Or cruel.

My kids will never make me cry.

My kids will never ....

You get the idea. 

Let's just say that by this time I've "said a lot of rosaries" if we were playing by the rules. And man, am I glad that we aren't playing by any rules. Because, who makes up those rules? Who says that we can "never"? Why does it matter? 

The simple answer is we do it, I do it... to myself. And that's just silly. So in this season of grace, mommas... go ahead and offer yourself some. Serve it up on a big 'ol platter of humility and forgiveness wedged next to giant heaping of self appreciation and love. 

You deserve it. I've never meant anything more.