I think God knew we needed our kids little first. We needed to love them, hold them, pray for them, and be completely overwhelmed by their existence, always picturing them as those precious little babies even as they grow older. I honestly think he needed us to love them well so won’t become like other animals who regularly eat their young.

Mamas, I believe God gives us special hearts for our children. As they grow, we excitedly watch them come into themselves. They develop interests and hobbies, begin playing sports and joining clubs. And we try our hardest to be a part of everything they do. We want to support them. Encourage them. Hold them up. Watch them bloom. 

When they get hurt, it’s Mama that they run to for magical booboo kisses and bandages with healing powers. Even the big ones who don’t want to show their pain need their Mama and are grateful for us checking on them and patching up their wounds.

We love them when they are irate and angry. When they say words they don’t mean and act in ways that we never taught them.

We love them when they are rebellious and hurtful and are making choices that will ruin their lives.

We love them when they think they know it all and they are convinced we are the dumbest person on the planet.

We love them when it doesn’t make sense and the world doesn’t understand.

We love them with the love that Jesus so graciously bestowed upon us.

And when those babies, because that’s how we will always see them, when those babies grow into teenagers and adults, no matter whether they are successful or a failure, we love them.  

We love them just as we did that first day when our heart grew umpteen sizes. When we heard that first cry and we knew we’d never be the same.

Whether they are three, thirty, or sixty, a good Mama always loves her babies and would give up her life if it meant making her child’s better.

Mamas, our efforts are never in vain. I know we get stressed and worn out, and I’ve heard that we as adult children can be harder on a mom than when we were younger. But Mama, let’s keep on praying. Let’s keep on trusting the God who loaned us our children in the first place. And let’s keep on loving them; when they make our hearts swell with pride or when they break them into pulverized pieces on the ground. God made us with special hearts to love them through it all.