And it involves a mom's most important body part!
I just know you're gonna be surprised at this one. *Winkety wink*
I think every woman, even the ones who've read everything under the sun about what to expect, is surprised at how her body changes. And stays changed.
Being pregnant with twins means you rapidly progress from looking pregnant to very pregnant to looking like you're about to birth a full grown man. After that man's birth, you indeed deflate a bit, except now you're just happy to look like a woman who's in her third trimester with a single baby.
Being the sole food source of twins means that watching you eat has become a spectator sport for a husband who now must hand over his uneaten food.
Or else you'll die.
All moms soon discover that strong arms and tender hands are needed well beyond the first weeks home. Genuine smiles, listening ears, and knees that readily bend all make a tremendous difference no matter how mundane the day (make that...especially during the mundane days).
But I haven't mentioned the most important body part.
The one you both have the most control over yet seem to lose control over most often.
What's the one thing you have to really drill home when teaching a kid to throw a ball?
Fix your eyes on the target. (now you're thinking about Target. Stop)
Sometimes I'm amazed at how accurate a throw has been when I fix my eyes on the target without wavering. This is usually a good thing.
Until I look at the wrong target, be it a person, thing, emotion, or expectation.
I've learned this the hard way in the past. I thought my convictions were rock solid until I forgot to keep my eyes fixed in the right spot. I probably got too cocky, as my Dad would say. In fact, I still have to relearn this nearly every day, it seems. It really is a constant battle.
But why does it matter? Can't I just live in my own little head some days without it affecting anyone else? And why am I talking about how to toss a ball instead of the bodily oddities of motherhood as you expected?
You Have Control
You have control over where you fix your eyes, or in other words, where you focus and what you think about. And that will be extremely impactful on your children, because like it or not, they learn through imitation.
If I am fearful, it will take them much longer to develop confidence.
If I prize money and/or my time above people, I won't raise a giver of either.
If I am more concerned with checking all the right boxes at the expense of my spiritual life, then I may not like how my kids fill that spiritual need later.
If I spend my days reacting to current circumstances and emotions instead of working with the big picture in mind, I won't raise goal oriented adults who know how to persevere.
If I stare more at a screen than real life, then I'll only teach my kids to do the same.
And if I focus on myself, on things that are only temporary, instead of God, who is outside time, outside circumstance, does not change, and is intensely for me and my good...then keep praying with me, Mama. We'll get that help, I promise. He makes up for our weakness. He fills in our parenting cracks with grace. With second chances, our kids' love and resilience, and other people who can help be an example where we fail.
Despite the inevitable bad days, I have been the most surprised at how my eyes have changed. I feel the importance of focus in this brief life like never before. I have the physical ramifications of where I focus right in front of me in little sweatpants and Velcro shoes. This is indeed a mom's most important body part.
Our eyes makes all the difference.