A Thankless Job?

So often we hear that parenthood, and especially motherhood, is a thankless job. We slave away day after day and our efforts seem to go unnoticed by our children. Well, today was a bright spot that proves it's not always thankless.

As I was getting Sammi ready for breakfast, I had her all buckled in her chair and her cereal ready for the milk and then found the tray to her high chair still covered with food from dinner last night (Yuck! I know) So I grabbed the tray and headed to the sink to clean it off. As I was returning to her chair to put the tray on, Sammi looked up and said "Thank you, Mommy." I don't know if she realized that I had done something nice for her or if she just spontaneously said it, but I sure felt thanked for cleaning off her tray!

Then, we were getting dressed after her bath and she was running around the room away form me as I was trying to get her shirt on. I finally got the shirt over her head and on her arms. I asked her to lay down on the floor so I could snap it up. As she laid down she said, "Thank you, Mommy!" At this moment I thought she was doing something nice for me, so I responded by saying, "Thank you, Sammi." She looked at me for a second and then said, "You're welcome."

So maybe our kids do have glimpses into the work we do for them. What I know for sure: I really needed Sammi's Thank-yous today and she was kind enough to oblige.