Today my youngest and I had a standoff in the street because she refused to walk anymore in the direction I established we were going. This lasted a good twenty minutes.

Today my son talked back to me because I told him it was time to turn off the tv and start school work. We had the same conversation yesterday.

Today I cried in the bathroom.

And all of this, it happened before 9am.

Leading me to head into today’s episode of Groundhog Day feeling less than perky and optimistic that this very Thursday would deliver to me and mine anything more than the usual seesaw of good behavior and listening and misbehavior and non listening.

But, as the mom, you are the face and the mood of the day and if I dare present as anything less than positive, hopeful, determined, faith-filled, happy and mentally strong, then my kids won’t either.

And so, I wiped my tears away, walked out of that bathroom and got back to the business of forgiving, loving and giving grace to those little monkeys who drive me so crazy but make my life all that it is, and to myself who needs so much of those things these days.

As a mama, it’s hard not to fall into the trap of “well, crap; if the kids are acting up, they must be unhappy and I must being doing something wrong.”

When really, the kids are just being kids and you are being a mom in the exact way God intended you to be — surely making mistakes along the way, but learning and growing and changing and showing those children of yours the importance of eternally doing the same.

I know you might think you’re struggling, and perhaps you are, but honestly, this struggle looks good on you.