Husbands, love your children's mother

I've had a few experiences this past week that have caused me to reflect on how incredible women, particularly mothers, are.  I'm sure that most if not all of us have very fond memories of our mothers.  Mom was the one that seemed to always be there for us, no matter what.  She always listened and seemed to rarely get angry with us.  She was always caring for us and would do anything to help us.  Mom was at all of our games, all of our practices, and all of our concerts.  She would drive anywhere, talk to anyone, or make anything for us.  Mothers are incredible.

I've been reminded of this this week as I've watched Gauchay take care of Luke.  I do not know where she gets all of the stamina, all of the love, and all of the patience that she puts into his care every hour of every day.  I like to tell myself that I also work really hard, what with 9 hours of classes, 25+ hours of homework, and 15 hours of work every week. But then I look at Gauchay and all that she sacrifices for Luke, and I realize that my offering may seem kind of paltry in comparison.
My post today comes as kind of a follow-up to a post I made a year or so ago called Husbands, love your wives.  When I wrote it, we did not yet have a child, and so extolling the virtues of motherhood in our wives was not a topic I fully addressed.  I'd like to do that here.

First, to those brethren that are married but do not yet have children.  I'm assuming you realize just how amazing your wife is, right?  She is ever-patient, full of love, and willing to do almost anything for you.  She is a woman among women and you love her more than anything else.  Well let me give you a heads up: you ain't seen nothing yet.  The amazingness of women that shines through as wives is just a small glimmer compared to the shining example they are as mothers.  If you think you love your wife now because of how she treats you, wait until you feel love for her when you see how she treats your children.  She operates on little to no sleep; she somehow has more muscle than we do because she spends almost the entire day carrying a 10-20 pound weight on her shoulder, and bounces it the whole time; she sacrifices her body, which in today's world is apparently the defining characteristic of women, so that she can create and care for your child.  You will truly see how incredible women are when you see your wife being a mother.  So husbands, love your wives.  And especially, take advantage now while you don't have kids.

Second, to those brethren out there that already have children.  I'm assuming that you are in 100% agreeance with everything I said above to those husbands that do not yet have children.  Aren't our wives the most incredible creatures we have ever beheld?  So my question to you is this: are you just admiring the work that she does, complementing her on the amazing mother she is, and letting her do the majority of the work of taking care of your child?  Is the only time you ever interact with your child the times when he/she is happy and you get to play with them?  Do you hand off your baby to your wife when they get fussy, when they need a diaper change, or when they need to be put to sleep?  Even when the baby is happy and calm, do you take the baby so your wife can have some time to herself, some time to do things for herself?  Brethren, we have to do more than that.  We can't just leave the child-rearing to our wives.  We can't just enjoy the easy times and let our wives take care of the hard times.  That is not God's plan for our families.  Brethren, you should be up to your armpits in dirty diapers; you should know what it feels like to stay up until 3 in the morning trying to calm your baby down and put him to sleep; you should know what it feels like to have your arm go numb from holding a baby in the same position for hours on end; most of all, you should recognize and experience the same love towards your child that you see reflected in the eyes and smile of your wife whenever she cares for your child.  Parenthood is a team effort.  True, your wife is definitely the MVP of this team, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give your best effort.

So, brethren, I invite you to take the time today to watch your wife; note all the little things she does for you or for the children; log away in your memory, or on a piece of paper, all the things she does for you and the family.  Because I promise you, brethren, that you will never find an earthly being as incredible as the woman you sleep next to every night, the woman that bore your children, the woman that sacrifices everything she has for your children.  Brethren, love your children's mother.