Mother of the Year

I have a friend who I truly admire for her mothering skills and her stamina. She is the mother of 4 children with another on the way. Her children range in age from 6 to 13. This woman is always on the go. She never stops. Well, rarely anyway. When she's not shuttling them to and from their activities, she's taking them to museums, to the pool, to the beach and more. At home, she's always cooking up some delicious meal and desert. She is the ultimate homemaker. And I'm in awe of her.

I'm also in awe of her because of her choice to have another child just when her youngest is getting to the point where he doesn't need her attention every minute. My children are 7 and 11. My husband and I finally feel like we are returning to a semblance of what life was like before the blissful chaos of children. And by that, I mean, we are able to read the Sunday papers without interruption again. We're not up at night either feeding a child or tending to children needing us next to them while they sleep. We're not longer deprived of sleep. We wake refreshed.

My friend's decision to start the nighttime feedings and diaper changes all over again seems overwhelming to me. At the same time I have nothing but admiration for her. It's not surprising. She is, afterall, deserving of 'mother-of- the- year' award. She does mothering so beautifully and no matter how exhasted she is, she does it with a smile on her face!