Teeth, Fevers and Thomas Paine

Long ago, in a faraway land, a teenage girl named Sarah was asked to  memorize a quotation for class. She never in a million years thought it would stick in her mind 16 years later and she CERTAINLY never thought she'd use it to reference parenting. It's about the Revolutionary War, after all.

Alas, here it is. 

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”  ― Thomas Paine

So here we are, knee deep in parenting two boys. I love every minute of it. I do.

So why the Thomas Paine? Tyranny? Hell?

Ok skip those parts. 

Focus on the first and last sentences and that's how I currently feel about parenting.

We are tired. 

Teething has wiped us out. Drew has six -- yes six -- chompers already. He had only two about two weeks ago. Poor kid. Poor us. The middle of the night has not been fun. I even stopped taking my migraine medication because it makes me unable to get up with him.

We are sick. 

All four of us have a gross cold. Drew started it and it passed through me, to Miles and now even the normally-immune Dustin has a sore throat and clogged nose. 

We are broke.

Christmas. Bills. Need I say more?

We are overworked.

I have a 60-hour work week coming at me and loads of family (who I'm actually very excited to see) coming in starting Friday. 

We are busy.

We won't be home Wednesday, Thursday or Friday nights. How are we going to get the house ready for company? Good question.

We have no life.

I seriously don't even remember the last time I hung out with my friends. 

And yet, I love my life. I post so many good moments and pictures of smiling kids on here that sometimes I just want to be able to remember that it was rough too. I want my kids to read this one day and know that when parenting is hard for them, that they aren't failures or doing something wrong. It IS hard. They aren't the only ones that feel this way. I want them to know that their Dad and I pushed and trudged through some harder times because we loved them so much. I want it to be a great surprise to them 20 years from now when they read this because all they remember is a mom and dad that loved each other and loved them so much that we were content just to be with them. They need to know that it's not easy raising kids, but it's worth it. 

Our souls are a little weary right now, so I'm focusing on the next part: "but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." I don't expect my kids to thank me. I'm just doing for them what was done for me (so consider this a long overdue thank you to my mom and dad). 

I do expect them to pay it forward to their own families some day. I want to raise boys into men who understand that, "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value."

Apparently feeling introspective...