A Gift for Mom! 🤍

Right Now, These Kids Are All Mine—And That’s All I Need

4 Minute Read

By Casey Huff

Mother with 3 kids — Image via Highway Ten Photography

My kids gave me a run for my money today.

There were lots of fights. Lots of tears. Lots of not listening. Lots of He touched mes and She took my toys. Lots of tantruming and wildness and negotiating.

By the time my husband arrived home from work I was done. I excused myself to our bedroom for a little bit of alone time while he ate with the kids, just so I could hear myself think.

So I could breathe.

I need those refreshes often in this phase of life, I’m finding.

But later, after three bedtime stories and three forehead kisses, I sat in the stillness of the kids’ room listening to their breathing grow deeper. And just like every other night, the sight of them sweetly tucked in and peaceful stirred an overwhelming wave of gratitude within me.

For all of its hard, messy exhaustion, I have to believe this season truly is the sweet spot.

RELATED: Motherhood is a Repeated Offering of Love

Because these babies? Right now, they’re mine.

I take that for granted so often I’m ashamed to admit it.

I look forward to the days of less needing and more independence. I salivate over the thought of being able to sit and drink my hot coffee in peace while they sleep in until 10.

I’m exhausted. The kids rarely all sleep through the night . . . so neither do I.

I’m knee-deep in potty training—which is pretty much the bane of my parenting existence.

My ratio of adult conversation to kid conversation is way skewed in favor of long philosophical discussions about Mayor Goodway’s pet chicken in Paw Patrol.

I have neglected myself and my needs for so long I’ve almost forgotten what they even are.

I feel undervalued and unappreciated, even if it’s all in my head.

I am touched out, overwhelmed, and tired.

But even so, right now these kids are mine—and there’s a lot to be said for that.

Right now, we fall asleep under the same roof every single night.

RELATED: Lord, Please Don’t Let Me Forget

Right now, the worst choices they make are to yank sister’s doll from her hands or smack brother on the head, or yell, “no!” in utter, toddler-like defiance.

They aren’t navigating broken hearts.

They aren’t overwhelmed with peer pressure.

They aren’t battling mental illness.

They aren’t dabbling in dangerous experimentation.

I don’t toss them the car keys and pray they’ll return to me in one piece.

I don’t lay awake across town . . . across the state . . . across the world from them and wonder if they’re making good life choices.

I don’t worry about them every second of every day, because for now they’re here in my arms.

RELATED: Today I’ll Hold You Close

So yes, this season is hard. And I think that’s OK to say out loud.

It’s OK to feel beaten down and exhausted.

It’s OK to feel frustrated.

It’s OK to not enjoy every moment.

It’s OK to wonder how the years fly by so quickly when some days draggggg on.

But tonight I’m so, so very thankful to have these babies right here with me invading my space, driving me a bit insane, and asking me to love them with everything I’ve got.

It won’t always be this way—one day I’ll have to turn them over to the world and pray they’ll be OK—but for now they’re mine.

Thank God for that.

So God Made a Grandmother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Order Now!

Casey Huff

Casey is Creative Director for Her View From Home. She's mom to three amazing kiddos and wife to a great guy. It's her mission as a writer to shed light on the beauty and chaos of life through the lenses of motherhood, marriage, and mental health. To read more, go hang out with Casey at: Facebook: Casey Huff Instagram: @casey.e.huff

As a Medical Mom, I Measure Growth Differently

In: Kids, Motherhood

In most homes, the marks on the wall are a simple celebration of time passing. They are pencil lines that track how many inches a child has gained since their last birthday. But in our home, those marks represent a much deeper, more complex story. When your child lives with multiple hormone deficiencies, growth is never just “natural”—it is a carefully managed medical achievement. However, as any medical mom knows, the story doesn’t end at the top of the head. It begins deep inside, with a tiny gland that isn’t sending the right signals. Having multiple hormone deficiencies is often...

Keep Reading

Hannah Harper Is Every Mom with Babies in Her Arms and a Dream In Her Heart

In: Living, Motherhood

Hannah Harper American Idol winner sings with her young son on her lap

By now, you’ve probably seen the posts flooding your feed: A young mom. Three little boys. A guitar strap embroidered with her children’s drawings. And a crown. When Hannah Harper won American Idol this week, moms everywhere erupted. And honestly? Same. There is something collective about watching a stay-at-home mom win on such a large stage. The celebrations have been pouring in. Moms, we can do it. She didn’t abandon her dreams. She went for it. And all of that is true, and all of that is worth celebrating. But I want to add something to the celebration. Not to...

Keep Reading

Watching Your Children Build the Life You Prayed For Is Beautiful

In: Grown Children, Motherhood

“I love you, Mom.” “Hmmm?” (A little louder) “I love you.” “I love you too…so very much.” I’d been deep in thought, listening to the lyrics we were slowly dancing to. I knew this moment of ours was supposed to be the time to say all the things, but this boy and I had already said all the things, so the song the deejay played—written by Lori McKenna and sung by Tim McGraw—enchanted our ears: When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you When the work you put in is realized Let yourself feel the pride but Always stay humble...

Keep Reading

I Lost My Daughter on Mother’s Day: 3 Truths I’m Believing Today

In: Grief, Loss, Motherhood

Editor’s note: This post discusses child loss Child loss changes Mother’s Day. My 19-month-old, Julia, died suddenly on Mother’s Day in 2024. Three months later, her autopsy revealed she had B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL, also known as SUDNIC). Julia died a week after we did an embryo transfer at an IVF clinic in an attempt to have a second child. We found out three days after Julia’s death that the embryo did not make it either. Six months later, we did another embryo transfer that succeeded, and I now have an 8-month-old daughter, Lucy Mei (“Mei Mei” means “little...

Keep Reading

If You Give a Mom a Bouquet…

In: Motherhood

Woman arranging bouquet of pink flowers on table

If you give a mom a bouquet… She goes to grab a vase to put it in. As she grabs the vase, she also grabs the duster because she knows the spot for the vase is probably dusty and she has guests coming for dinner. As she begins dusting, she notices the stack of books that needs to go back on the shelf. When she gets to the shelf, she sees the bendy action figures in battle formation that need to go back in the bin. When she gets to the bin, she spots the toy food that needs to...

Keep Reading

Here In the Liminal Space of Parenting

In: Motherhood

It’s Friday night at 8:00. The intermittent snoring of an 80-pound lap dog is the only thing slicing through the silence of my home. It feels empty, and there is a stillness in the air. I have nowhere to be; there is nobody waiting to be picked up. I’m staring at the empty takeout boxes from dinner sitting on the coffee table. There was no need to cook a big meal; it was just the two of us, my husband and me, sitting together wistfully in this liminal space of parenting. It is the quiet place between an empty nest...

Keep Reading

Mothers Are the Givers

In: Motherhood

As we were decorating the tree last Christmas, my son dug to the bottom of a box and pulled out a Snoopy ornament. He set it off to the side quickly and continued his rifling. But I noticed the faint crack along the red jukebox that Snoopy stood beside. In an instant, I was standing back in the kitchen of our first home watching my son wander in to ask, in the cutest toddler voice, if he could “pwess” the button on the ornament to play the music. With gleeful excitement, he pressed too hard. The ornament slipped from his...

Keep Reading

Hyperemesis Gravidarum Means I Survived Something No One Could See

In: Motherhood

Pregnant woman lying on couch with hand on forehead

My hands were trembling as I reached for the pregnancy test developing on the bathroom counter. It had been three months since we lost our second pregnancy to miscarriage, and I was cautiously optimistic that this was our month. My heart tried to leap out of my chest when I saw the two lines. Our rainbow baby had been conceived. Let me preface the rest of this story by saying I knew my pregnancy wouldn’t be magical. My pregnancy with my son, who was 22 months old at the time, hadn’t been, and the short weeks leading up to my...

Keep Reading

I’m Learning To Feel Like I Belong In a Room Because I Want Her To Know She Always Does

In: Living, Motherhood

It took me 39 years to like myself. I mean really, honestly look in the mirror and say, “You go, girl.” I understand the concept of progress, not perfection, but the idea of always working on myself became a tiring and unrelenting objective. Here I was shrinking that waist, smoothing my skin, studying hard, working way too late, and often burning the candle at both ends to yield results that were still less than the ideal. It’s all well and good to be a doer who sets reasonable and sometimes unreasonable goals, but throughout my teens and into my early...

Keep Reading

Soon There Will Be No More Breakfasts To Make

In: Grown Children, Motherhood, Teen

Ten boy eating breakfast at kitchen counter

T-minus 44 days until a new beginning- Math has never been my strong suit or my favorite subject, but it will be about 19 years spent rising and trying to shine in our house. Nineteen years of prepping one, two, or all three of our sons to get up and ready for school. Nineteen years of making breakfast. Nineteen years of making lunches. For those of you in the thick of it right now, you know exactly what I mean. I think my husband Steve and I have it down to a science now. If we had to do it...

Keep Reading

I Was Four the First Time My Innocence Was Stolen

Living

I Was Four the First Time My Innocence Was Stolen

My Wife is a Teacher and This Year is Going to Be Hard

Tough Times

Right Now, These Kids Are All Mine—And That’s All I Need

I need those refreshes often in this phase of life, I’m finding.

RELATED: Motherhood is a Repeated Offering of Love

But even so, right now these kids are mine—and there’s a lot to be said for that.

RELATED: Lord, Please Don’t Let Me Forget

RELATED: Today I’ll Hold You Close

But tonight I’m so, so very thankful to have these babies right here with me invading my space, driving me a bit insane, and asking me to love them with everything I’ve got.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Casey Huff

As a Medical Mom, I Measure Growth Differently

Hannah Harper Is Every Mom with Babies in Her Arms and a Dream In Her Heart

Watching Your Children Build the Life You Prayed For Is Beautiful

I Lost My Daughter on Mother’s Day: 3 Truths I’m Believing Today

If You Give a Mom a Bouquet…

Here In the Liminal Space of Parenting

Mothers Are the Givers

Hyperemesis Gravidarum Means I Survived Something No One Could See

I’m Learning To Feel Like I Belong In a Room Because I Want Her To Know She Always Does

Soon There Will Be No More Breakfasts To Make

Get It Now

So God Made a Mother

Right Now, These Kids Are All Mine—And That’s All I Need

I need those refreshes often in this phase of life, I’m finding.

But even so, right now these kids are mine—and there’s a lot to be said for that.

But tonight I’m so, so very thankful to have these babies right here with me invading my space, driving me a bit insane, and asking me to love them with everything I’ve got.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

As a Medical Mom, I Measure Growth Differently

Hannah Harper Is Every Mom with Babies in Her Arms and a Dream In Her Heart

Watching Your Children Build the Life You Prayed For Is Beautiful

I Lost My Daughter on Mother’s Day: 3 Truths I’m Believing Today

If You Give a Mom a Bouquet…

Here In the Liminal Space of Parenting

Mothers Are the Givers

Hyperemesis Gravidarum Means I Survived Something No One Could See

I’m Learning To Feel Like I Belong In a Room Because I Want Her To Know She Always Does

Soon There Will Be No More Breakfasts To Make

Previous Post

Next Post

You May Also Like