Bringing the bigger picture into focus

Parenting is the hardest job anyone will ever tackle. I realized this the day I brought my daughter Kylee home from the hospital and I started sleeping in 2 hour intervals. However the exhaustion of the newborn days does not even compare to the terrible twos.
Once Kylee hit the wonderful age of 2 I was able to experience the incredible joy of watching her little body flail, kick and scream because I took the banana out of the peel before I gave it to her.
Now that we have introduced Kylee's brother Myles into the scene my life has become even more hectic and busy. Every day with a toddler and a baby can become very tedious and tiresome. I try to be the best mother I can be by offerring guidance, instilling good manners and values, and providing opportunities for them to become physically and emotionally fit.
Some days though I have to ask yourself, "Is it really worth it?", "Am I really accomplishing anything?" These questions usually arise when I am playing with my children and I am simply exhausted or I am reading the 50th book to my daughter at bedtime or dealing with yet another meltdown. The one thing I have realized though is that every moment I spend with my children is a drop in the bucket of who they are going to become. I want my children to become the best people they can be and to live to their fullest potential. The idiom drop in the bucket means "an insufficient or inconsequential amount in comparison with what is required". Some days I feel like everything I do is just a drop in the bucket and that it is insufficient. The truth is that every moment with my children is a drop in their bucket that is slowly filling up and when it comes time for them to find their own way in the world they will have a bucket that is overflowing with fond memories, good values, and wisdom that will enable them to live their best life.
Most days when I ask myself, "Is it worth it?", "Am I really accomplishing anything?" I answer with a resounding "yes"