7 years ago I was driving in the car and trying to explain to my husband how I felt. 7 years ago I had a 3 month old baby and didn't quite feel like myself... by a LONG shot. I loved being a mom. I loved attending to the needs of my family. I loved it all but I felt like my own identity was gone. I couldn't go to the bathroom alone never mind about sprinting to the store to restock the makeup supply or run to the craft store. YIKES! Husband listened and tried to understand....
Then it hits me: The analogy of all time. Perfect for the wonderfully attractive brilliant man that I married.... I'm the mothership.
You know in the movies... all great missions have a mother ship. The mission could never succeed without the mother ship. Smaller craft are housed in the mother ship... maintained in the mother ship and always return to refuel, get repaired or receive supplies from yes, the Mother Ship.
When I had my 4th I had spent only a few months in between each pregnancy NOT being the mother ship. Everyone physically needed me for something. Nursing babies attached for refueling, smaller children attached for guidance or protection, older children found me in the bathroom in dispose even when I turned on my cloaking device to request repair or refueling and my husband... well, lets just say being the mother ship is a physically demanding job. Even exhausting.
It's easy in those moments to forget who you are. You become a docking station; a service station; a collective entity that lives to fulfill the mission. It's easy to feel like every inch of your beautiful body has become a utility for an others physical needs.
So how does a Mother Ship retain her identity? Never Forget the Mission. EVER. You accepted it. The mission would fail without you. Your little ships need you and you house the heart of all that is sacred and worth saving. You are the main generator, the life source, all that is good, keeper of the innocent and pure. After a day of fueling, housing, servicing, maintaining, and protecting think about your mission. If you explain things well to that sweet husband, maybe, just maybe, you'll be the Mother Ship wearing lipstick and high heel shoes. Some day your little fighter jets will stop coming to refuel and you can repurpose your ship to fly along side those fighters but until then... you're the Mother Ship... and never forget it.
Watch husband finally "get it" ... it's such a great analogy it may even make him cry... or at least salute the great things you do!
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7 comments:
Love the mother ship analogy!! It is a calling we have by our choice to be mommy and wife. Let's never forget however, that even the mother ship needs refueling now and again. :))
SO true! Fueling up is important as is washing the windows and polishing the chrome... or steel, or grill or whatever it is motherships have!
My children are all grown up and out of the house, but they still check in with this "mothership" for advise, comfort, and encouragement. This is one mission I definitely wouldn't have wanted to miss. It goes by so stinkin' fast. L.O.L.
This analogy hit a raw nerve in me. Thanks. I'll always keep this in mind.
Great analogy! I'm getting ready to refuel next week when I head off on a road trip with some MOPS friends for the MOPS conference in Nashville....Can't wait, even though it means LOADS of preparation to leave the kids with the hubby...
Great analogy and a very good way to stay focused.
I've only got one more at home and he's 17, so not quite the same.
If I could tell you anything, it's this...There will be a day when you will have lots of time for yourself. Just try and relax and enjoy the crazy time. Your time will come... faster then you think.
I've been thinking lately about how time passes so quickly. Days can seem long when we're in the midst of all the caretaking and tasks, but months and years just fly by.
Good analogy! I have purposed to enjoy this time in my life and not let weariness take away the joy that every moment can bring.
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