The 5% Part of Motherhood

A couple of weeks ago, Drew entered my room at 5:41am. After turning on the bedroom light he declared, "Want bef-fast." I found absolutely nothing endearing about the moment. The next couple of hours didn't go so well either. It was probably no coincidence that at about 8:45 that same morning I read an article on the Power of Moms site that was timely. My friend, April authored a fabulous article, "It's Not Just You" that in essence dissects the 95% of motherhood that isn't glamorous and the 5% that is glamorous.

Any mother knows that her using the word "glamorous" in the context she did is not describing fancy meals, limousine rides and diamond bracelets. She is referring to those beautiful, everyday moments that we wish could last forever, but are often nothing more than fleeting moments amidst the typical chaos and mayhem that usually reigns supreme.

I left a comment on her post acknowledging its timeliness for me. I also expressed optimism that though my day had started out as a 95% type of day, I was optimistic it would be interspersed with at least a few 5%'s.

It wasn't really the article that filled my mind for the next few hours, it was the idea of "5%". I was bound determined, despite the rough start to the day that I was going to find my "5%" no matter how hard I had to look.

Turns out I didn't have to look very far.

You see the early, rough start to the day made me pretty lazy and slow for the morning. I lacked any real motivation to get going. I was still wearing my bathrobe and pajamas when I plopped down on my bed to answer a text message on my phone. Before I knew it, I found myself in the thick of "5%". 

Joshua wanted me to read him a book, and with no desire to conquer the to-do list just yet, I obliged. Of course Drew soon climbed aboard the bed with us. Within moments the book was tossed aside and an all-out tickle and pillow fight ensued.



I think April just happened to use an arbitrary number when she wrote her article. I'm sure there are no scientific studies to back up her claim, although there are plenty of mothers that would! I'm one of them. 5% isn't much, but when you're in the thick of it, it's everything.

Here's to another 5% day.