Just what does a mother do all day?

They work their fingers to the bone.
They push their nerves to the brink.
They use every skill they have just to survive the day.

Little things matter to our kids.
They are the things that meet special needs that say, I love you.

 But when a mother’s time becomes crowded by competing demands,
there is no time for these little things

 These little things really make a difference.      

Here is a list of what mothers may have to do in a single day:
 ·      
       Baby feeder, diaper changer, bather, rocker, burper, hugger
       Listener to crying and fussing and thousands of questions
        Picker upper of food and debris cast on the floor

       Problem solver, determiner of action, 
       and the one who gives those talks to whoever needs them
       
        Phone messenger, reminder of responsibilities
       Comforter, encourager, counselor
       Hygienist
        Linguistic expert for two-year-old dialects
       Trainer of baby-sitters
       
       Listener-- for the husband as well as the children
       about their day, their needs, their concerns, their aspirations

        Teacher of everything from how to chew food to how to drive a car
        Assist on school projects (collecting bugs, building paper volcanoes, etc.)         Questioner, prober to promote thinking

        Censor of TV, movies, books
        Homework helper
        Reader of thousands of children's books (over and over and over)

        Planner and hostess of children's birthday parties
        Planner and hostess of adult dinner parties
        (for friends, relatives, travelers, and strangers
       
       Grocery shopper
       Cook and washer of dishes
       Short-order cook for those meals after the family's dinner
       that growing children must have

       Dispatcher to see that the appliance is fixed or the carpet shampooed          Executioner of ants, roaches, wasps and other pests

       Resident historian in charge of photo albums, baby books,
       and school record books
       Resident source of information for all those hard questions that arise

       Officer of the day, on call for any emergency at home or away
      
        Defroster of refrigerator and freezer
       Food preservation expert

       Family secretary, confirming dinner reservations, travel, accommodations        Corresponder to the sick, the celebrating, or the generous
       Archivist for everything that "must" be kept
       Keeper and locater of birth certificates and other valuable documents

       Washer and ironer of clothes
       Keeper and copier of tax forms 

       Calendar keeper for the family's visit to the doctor, the dentist,
       the orthodontist, the barber, and the mechanic

       Fitness expert
       Keeper of each family member's daily itinerary

       Cleaner of the oven, the drawers, the closets, the garage,
       the curtains, the bedding, the windows, even the walls

        Washer and waxer of cars
        Refinisher of furniture
       Emergency medical technician and "ambulance" driver

Are you tired, yet?

 And what else does a mother do?

 Well, among many other things, she does these:

       Clip ten fingernails and ten toenails for each young child regularly
       Return library books and videos
       Get film developed

       Choose gifts, purchase gifts, wrap gifts for birthdays, Christmas,
       Father's Day, Mother's Day, wedding showers, baby showers,
       anniversaries, etc,

       Mail packages, buy stamps
       Drop off the dry cleaning; pick up the dry cleaning
       Have pictures framed
       Haul everything that need repair

        Attend recitals and sporting events
       Attend every school event imaginable
       Chauffeur everyone everywhere

       Cover for my sick kid on his 4:00 am paper route
       Comb little girl hairdos and little boys 

        Replace every battery in everything that ticks, whirls, or beeps
       Help in the classroom
       Become a mandatory volunteer for every fundraising drive
       Participate in most school committees and boards
       Attend school PTA meetings and conferences
       Act as a room mother, making things and organizing parties
       Chaperon field trips and special events

        Coordinate carpools
       Serve as a Scout leader, a Blue Bird leader, an Awana leader,
       a Sunday School teacher

        Purchase most everything for the family and the home
       Keep relationships healthy with friends and every member on both sides of the family
        Deliver forgotten lunches, forgotten homework, forgotten athletic gear

       Attend church, Bible studies, committee meetings, showers,
       weddings, choir practices, board meetings, potlucks,
       and neighborhood gatherings just to "stay active and informed"

       Return everything everyone buys
       Save lives-- sometimes figuratively... sometimes literally

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.

Think about this – there are working moms who do all these things.

And I imagine that there are mothers here who can add to that list.
And remember, we didn’t add all that she does for her husband, parents, grandparents, and friends.

Proverbs 31: 10, 27-28 says,

"Who can find a virtuous woman?
For her price is far above rubies...
She looketh well to the ways of her household,
And eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
her husband also. And he praiseth her.”

 What does a mother do all day?

 All these things and so much more.
The vocation of mothering is "a real job," and it takes a lot of love and dedication.

So, we honor our mothers.

We must pray daily for our mothers.

We must do all that we can to lift their load.

 Thank God for our mothers.

 Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White

Email Dr. White at hleewhite@aol.com