Maybe I’m the only one … but there are so many times that all I can see are the wrong things I’m doing in motherhood. All of my mommy failures staring me right in the face. Then, like little tiny gifts, there are those moments when you think to yourself, “Holy crap, I think I’m doing something right with these little tiny humans!”

The boys have had a bad case of the gimmies. They always seem to be asking for something. I’m doing my best to stand my ground but dang it’s hard. I start convincing myself that I’m a horrible mother, raising just greedy little boys. If I were a better mom, my children would know the value of a dollar and not ask for such silly things.

Then one morning, out of the blue, I receive a tiny little mommy gift. Jaden asked me about recycling. “Mom, what does it mean when you recycle paper?” Well, it means you take the used paper and make new paper so you don’t have to cut down more trees. He pondered on that for a few minutes. Then, he said,”You know, we’ve got a lot of stuffed animals downstairs. What if we put them under the tree on Christmas Eve? Santa could bring them back to the North Pole and give them to his elves. It’d be like recycling.”

He’s getting it! Taking what he has and thinking of how he can bless others with it. I felt the stains of my mommy mishaps fade a little in this awesome moment. I felt like in the midst of all the craziness, I must be doing something right. A tiny little mommy gift.

This past weekend, I took Jaden and a friend to a Christmas breakfast and craft event at the school my mom works at. We collected our supplies, found a spot to sit and set to work making ornaments. Jaden finished his and got up, without saying anything, and handed his completed ornament to the volunteer. She looked confused. Jaden said, “Here, I’m done.”  It didn’t even cross his mind that he could keep it. He was thinking of the Little Warrior Ornament Drive where the kids make ornaments to be donated to a local non-profit. I was proud. So very proud. He worked hard on the ornament – doing his best work, with every intention of giving it away. Just like that – another little, tiny mommy gift. Granted it was followed by a begging session for a book at the book fair – but still, you’ve got to celebrate the little wins, right?

These little, tiny mommy gifts can be easy to miss. Sometimes they are the kinds of ah-ha moments that smack you in the face and you can’t miss them. But other times they are subtle and easily go by unnoticed.

Fellow mama warriors – be on the lookout for these little gifts. They are given to you as a reward for your hard work and sleepless nights worrying about your babies. Use these gifts as fuel and encouragement. You are doing great things.

What little, tiny mommy gifts have you unwrapped lately? I’m excited to hear from you!

Love Mel