The Family Award

"Lo, children are a gift of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward" Psalm 127:3

I remember Madison and I attending her little Spring program at preschool when she was barely four years old. We went without the boys because little Jaron, almost 2, had a fever and cough and ended up staying home with his daddy. I was the traditionally proud mom in the metal folding chair with cameras in both hands. The kids sang adorable little songs in precious little outfits and the grandmas smiled at them and the dads nodded their heads at them. It is on my long list of treasured memories.

The time came for the teacher to hand out awards to the class. There were awards for the best listener, the person most willing to share, the best artist, and so on. The teacher had a perfect knack for choosing their little strengths and awarding them accordingly. Well, Miss Amanda began talking about a little girl who spent all of her free time talking about her family. She said, "Every picture she draws is of her family. Every story she tells is about her family. Every project we work on reminds her of her family. She tells me every day how she can't wait for her little brother to be old enough to come to preschool with her." You guessed it. The award for the Most Family Oriented went to my little girl.

I cried a little bit. I mean, I was never going to be that sappy mom who turned red at my child's every accomplishment, but how could I help myself? I worked full-time. I took vacations days for almost every preschool field trip and I made it to some of the holiday parties, but my treat bags were not full of homemade goodness. I bought stuff to go in there. And my contributions to the program refreshments that night? I bought those too. It felt like cheating. I did not give cute little homemade cards and gifts for the teachers. Working away from home most days has always made me wonder and second guess myself. I try to make the most of my evenings but the laundry and cooking and cleaning still have to get done sometime. Do the kids know how much I love them? Do I hug them enough? Do I spend enough time talking to each of them every single day? Are they going to remember the cupcakes I brought to their Halloween party or the one field trip I missed when they got to ride a horse? Do they truly understand that they are my first priority? The Most Family Oriented award made me think maybe, just maybe, I was getting some part of motherhood right. Maybe I was getting the message across about how much I treasured our family and maybe she felt the same way.

Three years later I believe Madison is still earning the family award. This week she brought home this picture. She drew it at "stations." She is a big kid in second grade now. My heart sings when I get these reminders that she thinks about us while she is away from home. I hope she understands that she, along with her brother and sister, will always comprise the greatest family award.