my time as a mum

“To be a mother means to turn especially to the helpless, to incline lovingly and helpfully to every small and weak thing on earth” – Gertrud von le Fort (taken from The Privilege of Being a Woman

While reading this week, this quote struck me right in the heart! This week I took on the role of a resident “mum” in the house of the babies through 3rd graders. What a task that was- cooking, ensuring homework, chores and bathing was done, putting to bed and waking up the girls! Imagine for a moment your sleepover, or your kids sleepovers as a kid, (the giggles, late night chatting, plotting some adventure etc). Well whatever you are imagining, multiply it by 100000 and that is what I had to try to control this week. One of the mums had a family emergency so they asked me to take over for her. I was set up with the task of overseeing a sleepover of 20 girls, ages 3-11, all in the same room… now picture the chatting, games, laughs and utter chaos that would appear there! The first night wasn’t bad, but it went down hill from there. The girls were used to me being a fun friend to play with and then all the sudden I became the mean rule enforcer at bedtime, and the one waking them up before 6am for school. I felt pretty defeated on the last night when I had absolutely no control and had to call in backup help from another mum. Needless to say, that was my last night as mum. I learned many lessons, one of which: I do not ever want to have that many kids, especially to put to bed! But I learned just what mothers go through sacrificing (sleep & energy especially!) for their kids all day long, and many times loving purely out of the grace of God. When I asked the mums how they do it each day they said they must cooperate with God because He is the only way they can make it through each day! Mom, I remember you breaking up many of my fun sleepovers when I was younger because we were too loud… now I understand how you felt, sorry!

This was also an eye opening experience for me because I realized the reality of where I am. I forget sometimes that I am at an orphanage because it is on a beautiful compound with loving mums and uncles, food on the table and running water. But it is still an orphanage where kids do not receive the constant attention, love and affection that they would in a home. This is much better than anyplace else they could be right now, but it does not compare to the loving home that I and many of us were brought up in. It is not only at orphanages where this lack of love happens. I am told that Kenyans in general do not give or show their children love or affection, they want to make them ‘strong’ therefore withholding love from them. It makes me think a lot about the future of a country when the generations are not being loved on and told how good they are regularly. I believe that education can only take a girl as far as her mind goes, but a girl who knows she is loved can go much further and lead a happier life, changing the people around her. I’m not sure where to go with that, because I know the US is not perfect by any means either. How do we redirect a whole culture to love their children more? Just my thought for today…
I love you all! Give plenty of love to others today!