I remember the post-wedding, pre-baby time in our marriage when housework was my mountain. And by mountain I mean, the insurmountable challenge I struggled with ALL THE TIME. Maybe it was the never-ending college workload or the exhaustion from nannying other people’s kids or perhaps it was just my own laziness, but it took me SO LONG to work up the energy to clean my tiny studio apartment. And when I finally would do it, it would take me allllll day. Like, what was my problem?!
And then I had a baby.
And at that point, my old housework mountain looked like a hill. I felt like I couldn’t do anything above sleeping, feeding, changing diapers, and watching Netflix with a newborn around. So housework WITH a newborn was my new mountain. But the first time my husband took the baby out while I stayed at home for a few hours? I was like a brisk wind! What used to take me a whole day to do, I had it whipped into shape in just a few hours.
And then I had ANOTHER baby.
And now the old “cleaning with a newborn” mountain looks like a hill. My new mountain? You guessed it, cleaning with BOTH of my kiddos around. Now, when ANYONE takes my toddler for a while, I strap my newborn into my baby carrier and I am like a TORNADO. I can have my whole living quarters deep cleaned in an hour flat.
It’s funny to look back at myself and think, you thought THAT was a challenge? HA. I’d give a limb to have the ease of your days once again!
And it makes me think, whatever my mountain is right now–whatever your mountain is right now– it’s probably going to look like a hill later on. I don’t say that to belittle our present struggles, because let’s face it, from this vantage point, we are ALL climbing some mountain. But it does give a little hope about how we’ll grow and adapt with new seasons. We will probably get better at whatever our present struggles are. And mountains will shrink down to hills as we travel onward to greater heights of motherhood.
So strap on your hiking boots and climb on, Mama. This mountain ain’t nothin’ but a hill from tomorrow’s standpoint.
Also, if cleaning the house with kids home is currently your mountain…check out the link below for some tips to help you make that happen!
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Sarah says
Great perspective and a timely word of encouragement :) Well said, Kate!
erickajen says
SO needed this today – trying to deal with and absorb the surprise of having #3 on the way… we werent trying and didnt plan to, but God apparently had different plans. so its hard to adjust. it will just be a hill this time next year, right? i hope so.
Kate Skero says
Yeah, girl, it will be! And hey, shocked or not–CONGRATULATIONS! Every little one is a blessing, and yeah it’s going to be a mountain for now, but you just take it one [very strenuous vertical] step at a time! Enjoy the climb. <3