My Nickname

I LOVE the picture that Hailey drew of our family the other day. If you notice, at the top is Clairisa and Kelly (my brother who died as a baby) watching our family from up in heaven. Every time I walk by our fridge and see this picture it brings a huge smile to my face. This morning Hailey was practicing writing the names of everyone in our family (I swear this girl is SO smart and driven...I'm so excited to see all that she accomplishes in her lifetime). After she had them all written down on a post-it, she brought it to me to make sure that she had everyone's names so she could start writing them herself. There was Katelund, Cloey, Hailey, Makayla, Cory, Lainey, and "MOM". Then she said, "I did your real name, not your nickname Melissa." How funny is that?! Sometimes Melissa really does feel like a nickname instead of my "real name" of Mom. I hear the word "mom" all day long by five sweet, sometimes not so sweet, little girls. I'm not going to lie, there are times that I cringe when I hear that word being yelled from the other room as they are looking for some validation of why they should be the one to get _________ (fill in the blank with anything and everything you can think of) instead of their sister. But, overall I thank God everyday for the blessing it is to be called "Mom" or "Mommy". There is so much debate in the world of the roles of women in society. This has never been something I've struggled with. I know my purpose and my role and I wouldn't want it any other way. The other day when I was at the dentist with Hailey, Makayla, and Lainey, I was asked, "You have five girls? How do you do it?". I wasn't really sure how to answer that but I said something about how much I love having five girls and how although sometimes it is chaotic and hard, I love it nonetheless. I also told him that I believe that being a mother was what I was born to do. I know that is true, and I know that my role as a mother will have greater influence in this world than any other accomplishments out there. President Hinckley said the following, “Women who make a house a home make a far greater contribution to society than those who command large armies or stand at the head of impressive corporations. Who can put a price tag on the influence a mother has on her children, a grandmother on her posterity, or aunts and sisters on their extended family? “We cannot begin to measure or calculate the influence of women who, in their own ways, build stable family life and nurture for everlasting good the generations of the future. The decisions made by the women of this generation will be eternal in their consequences. May I suggest that the mothers of today have no greater opportunity and no more serious challenge than to do all they can to strengthen the [home]” (Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes [2000], 152)."