The Lessons of Summer

Summer has arrived. In looking forward to summer, I always envision lazy days at the pool, all-day trips to the local amusement park with the kids, sitting on the back porch swing with a popsicle or lemonade... Then reality hits.

There is still laundry, meals to be prepared, house to clean, errands to run, on top of keeping the kids from saying the dreaded words..."I'm bored".

But such is the life of a full time mother during summer break.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Being a mother is, in my opinion, the most challenging, and most rewarding job there is. The monetary pay may not be so great, but the rewards are endless. It's amazing how we are teaching our children, even when we don't realize it. Weather we are having a hard day and our voices raise a notch or two, or ten.. or if we are having a great day, enjoying the journey of life with our children. Our actions, words and behaviors are being watched by the ones who matter most, and being mirrored. Scary thought.

I learned a valuable lesson this past week. This may tell a lot about me, but I confess, I am a talk radio junkie. If there is a radio within my control, I will be listening my favorite conservative talk show host, Glenn Beck. The other day, my 5 year old said, "Mom, who was our bishop before Glenn Beck?"

In our faith, we have a Bishop that presides over our congregation, and no, it isn't Glenn Beck. But I did start to wonder, if maybe I should turn the radio down more often and listen to the wisdom of innocence. They have a lot to teach me, if I will listen. Yes, there are lots of lessons to be learned in the summer. And not all of them are lessons for the children.