I Love You All The Time

Mom. Sometimes, I can hardly believe that I own that title. I get to describe myself as a mom! I remember sitting in my kindergarten classroom daydreaming about the day of becoming a mom. It was an innate desire for me, and I got to practice that role on my favorite baby dolls, Rachel #1, Rachel #2, and Rachel #3.

Now, here I am. A mom.

Being a mom with two under the age of three is such a challenge. I wish I could say I was the perfect mom, but I'm not. I do try to be the best mom I can be, and I have accepted that that's all I can do.

I have always made it a point to show my kids affection. It's something I know they desperately need. I know for some people this doesn't come naturally, but it always has for me because it's my love language--physical touch. I love to love on my babies.

But after an awesome message at church on Sunday, I realized that there was an area in my parenting that I really needed to work on; It's reminding my kids when I love them--all the time. We all love our babies--we may not like them sometimes, but we sure do love them! It's easy to show them how much we love them when they're happy and life is peachy, but isn't it so much harder when your little one is in a bad mood or throwing a temper-tantrum over wanting the pink sock instead of the blue? Of course! I want my two kiddos to grow up knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that their Mama loved them 100% of the time, and that there was never anything they could have done to become unloved by me--to know that when they were the most unlovable, they were still loved unconditionally. Why? Because this is the way Christ loves each and every one of us.

I originally started reminding my daughter of this without any expectation other than to just reinforce that truth, but it has actually lead to much better behavior for her. She has been such a better listener and has spent a lot less time in timeout since I started speaking these simple yet powerful words over her.

Here is an example of what our latest conversation looked like:

Me: Ava, when do I love you?

Ava: You love me all the time.

Me: Do I love you when you're mad?

Ava: Yes, all the time.

Me: Do I love you when you're happy?

Ava: Yes, you do! You love me all the time.

Me: Do I love you when you're sad?

Ava: Yes, you love me when I'm sad!

Me: Do I love you when you're angry and unhappy?

Ava: Yes, all the time Mommy.