Why Moms (and Other Regular People) Need Standing Ovations

I've made it to Friday! I'm celebrating this fact because it's been a hard and downright tiring week. With all that I've done this week, I deserve a standing ovation. Of course, I don't do what I do for accolades, but I was thinking this morning that just one accolade would be nice. 

Celebrities are used to applause. I'm sure B.eyonce and other performers are accustomed to the roar and whistles of adoring crowds. While, well-deserved, us regular folk need to hear the deafening applause of a standing ovation.

This week alone, I've juggled bad attitude, tantrums, dinner, packing lunch, combing, brushing and braiding the thick hair of my daughter, coordinating wardrobes, overseeing laundry and housecleaning, braved Los Angeles traffic, managed a budget at home and work. I've refereed a number of sibling fights (as early at 7:00 a.m.) and made sure that snacks were packed for hungry little kids who arrive in the car starving after school pick-up. All of this is only the tip of the iceberg.

I think of my husband, who works a full-time job and then heads to the kickboxing gym he owns where he teaches classes whether he's tired or not. He has to welcome new customers, field phone calls, handle the finances, make sure the bathrooms are clean and various other duties. That dude deserves a standing ovation at the end of every day.

Then there's my friend Kelli, pregnant with her third child while homeschooling two others. She and her husband had to move an entire household all while she was on bedrest. Yes, she deserves a standing ovation. There are friends juggling their own households while taking care of aging parents and some who are even sick themselves while trying to keep it all afloat.

Every single one of them deserves a round of applause, a bouquet of flowers placed in their arms and people standing on their feet to acknowledge how they have poured out every bit of themselves this week. 

Sadly, many of us will go about our daily duties without so much as a thank you. Many of us go about our life's work with little appreciation or thanks. But know that you are seen. Your works don't go unnoticed. Your children appreciate your effort and love even when they don't act like it. And of course, God knows and sees. 

So count this post as your standing ovation. If you know of someone who may need a pat on the back, hug or a round of applause give it to them. You never know how that will cheer them on and keep them going.