Monday, May 12, 2008

The mom at our house...

I love both moms that I have now - my own and my mother-in-law. They are both fantastic people that have given me a lot in my life. They have both done so much for me and I hope they know how grateful I am for each of them. I want to talk about the mom at the house I live in now - Steph.

I know she's not my mom. I am not recognizing her for that. She deserves to be recognized for being the mom that she is. In today's corrupt world with it's sliding values, it's wonderful for me to know that my children are in an environment where they are safe and free from those influences. It's comforting to know that they are in a place that I don't have to worry about what they are doing. Stephanie takes such could care of influencing their lives for the better. Sometimes I feel like I come home and pollute the wonder she has done each day. She may agree with that herself some days, but it fantastic to know that she and I are working together to keep these little girls safe from the filth that lies at all of our doors.

In Memphis there is a big debate going on right now about choosing a new superintendent for the school district I work for. Last night on the news an email was read about it. The email said something along the lines that the school district in looking for a superintendent, not a superman. The responsibility for improving the quality of the children in the schools is with the parents. If parents took a more active role in their children's lives then things would be a whole lot different. Parents are carting off their children to places away from them so that they can have time to themselves. They are blaming teachers for not helping their children achieve good morals. A teacher cannot undo the damage that a selfish, uncaring parent has been inflicting for years.

Are my children perfect? Not by a long shot. Lainey has a problem with sharing right now and Aleece has a problem with listening to her parents. The great thing is that Steph recognizes these things and works with them everyday. I know that at times she feels like she is not making any progress, but I assure you, she is. She does a fabulous job with improving these little girls. Knowing how wonderful of a mom Stephanie is makes me not worry about bringing more children into the world, because I know that our children will always have a firm foundation and a polar star always guiding them in the right direction. When she is in need of wisdom for her children she turns to the gospel. She does a fantastic job teaching these girls about the gospel and our Savior. Nothing could please me more. No matter the outside influence, I know that these children will know what their mom expects of them and they will always work to make sure that they never break her heart. Leecy and Lainey love their mommy dearly. Lainey loves her so much that she even calls me Mommy. She just loves to always have a mommy around.

So while we all celebrate the beauty of our mothers I just want to celebrate the beauty of the mom I am around the most now. Stephanie works so hard at being the great mom that she is. It makes our home such a celestial place. I couldn't ask for a better companion in my life to walk hand in hand with through everything. I love her madly and want to make sure that she knows it, along with the rest of the world.