This excerpt is from the book, Glimpses into the life and heart of Marjorie Pay Hinkley. Anything in parentheses is from me.
"I think I felt something of your frustration and challenge to be the perfect mother. Relax. There is no such thing as the perfect mother who fits all the eulogies. We just do the best we can with the help of the Lord, and who knows, these children who are struggling to be free (from your arms in a sacrament meeting) may someday rise up and call us blessed. The trick is to enjoy it. Don't wish away your days of caring for young children. This is your great day. Sometimes we get so caught up in the physical work (hello that's me, miss task oriented check list lady) and trivia that we forget the big picture. We forget whose children they really are. When the house is filled with children, noise, and teasing and laughter, you get the feeling this is forever. (how true) Before you know it they will be gone....Our children grow so quickly out of our reach. The rewards of mothering are not immediate. There are times when you are less than appreciated. I took from the oven one day what I thought was a beautiful casserole, only to have my six-year-old son say, `Mom, how come you baked the garbage?' Then there is the unexpected hug, when you least deserve it. And while you are enjoying these days of mothering, be sure your demands on your children for perfection are not so heavy that they cannot be children."
