"The Prodigal Mom"?????

August 31, 2010


Whenever Freddie returns home from being gone all day at work, the kids are so excited to see him. They usually greet him with energetic exclamations of "Daddy's home!" They spend a significantly less amount of time with their dad than they do with me so they miss him while he's at work every day. Because he's gone most of the time, he usually also gets to be the "fun guy" instead of "the enforcer".


I know that my kids love me just like they love their dad, too. We just both have very different roles in our family. We play different positions on the same team, both equally important. My job is to make our house a home. I give them a safe haven. I make sure our home is comfortable. I am familiar to them. I instill routine from day to day. They know what to expect. They know I'm always there. How can I expect them to not take me for granted? They're so young.  Their dad, on the other hand,  has to go out into the world to earn a living for us. He spends most of his time away from us. I understand the excitement of him walking through the door. I want to run and jump into his arms, too, and scream, "Yay! You're home!" We spend a lot of time waiting for him. We all look forward to it. It is the high point of many of our days.

When I have the occasional opportunity to leave and return home, I rarely get anything more than a "Hey Mom, you're back", when I walk through the door. (With the exception of Aubree, of course.) My kids just don't have the chance to miss me because we are always together and I think they somehow take me for granted. I wonder how long would I have to be gone for before my kids would start to really miss me. What if I left for a weekend? Or perhaps it would take closer to a week. I really don't know. I must admit, I do have the occasional fantasy about being missed. I often wonder if I would leave, would they gain an appreciation for the things that I do that now go unnoticed? Would they yearn to have me back? Or would they adjust to a new life without me?


It shouldn't take someone being gone to be appreciated. We should make an effort daily to recognize those around us who enrich the quality of our lives. We need to make an effort the acknowledge them and all they do for us. So today, take a few minutes to think about who you would miss if they went away~ and make sure you let them know how much they mean to you!


"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." Luke 15:20