Column Post by Laura Hyers
One of the most exciting things about working with children is the gamut of emotions they can put you through in a single hour: complete frustration, uncontrollable joy that explodes as giggles, deep sadness, total confusion, and the million degrees that come in between.
I love my job, but some days I go home and flop down in bed and sigh and wonder if I could ever really be a good mother. I text my mom, most of the time asking if she will agree to potty-train my unborn children (no, seriously) and she laughs and reassures me that I will be a good mom and I will mess things up and my babies will love me anyway and they will grow up into good people because Caleb and I will pour ourselves into them and somehow it will all work out.
Caleb gets along well with everyone, really, and that includes children. But oh my gracious, how things changed when our best friends had their daughter. I remember sitting in Caleb’s room in the house we affectionately called “the bachelor pad”, “the fortress of noise-itude”, and “the Beyond Ariose (his then-band) house” with Luke and just-pregnant Lakin sitting on his bed and he and I sitting on the couch.
Our best friends shyly talked about something using just their eyes the way they always do, then Luke looked at us and said, “So…we’ve got something we wanted to ask you guys…” and Lakin smiled big and chirped, “We want you to be godparents!” I think my world turned about as upside down as it could be without me having a child myself.
The first time Caleb held Rosabelle, Lakin and I cried. But I think Lakin and I had cried for a good few minutes before that, as my best friend had created this most beautiful bundle of joy and love and everything that could ever be good in this world. How she looked so incredible after over 24 hours of labor was beyond my comprehension. But there was Caleb, the man I wanted to marry, holding this baby girl and melting into a puddle and dreaming big dreams for her and looking at her with huge eyes and murmuring, “Well, hello, Rosabelle Marie. I’m glad to meet you. We’ve been waiting for you.” Tell me you wouldn’t melt at that.
Belle is now almost two, and the degree to which my husband adores her is ridiculous. But what’s even more ridiculous is how much Belle loves him. She can’t say his name just yet, and the closest she gets is “Hops”, so that’s who he is.
And my word, how Belle and Hops love each other. When he walks into a room, her tiny voice says, “Oh, Hops! Oh, hi!” and his face could break from grinning and he replies with, “Hey, baby girl! Hi, Bean!” and they run for each other and she grabs him in a giant hug and wraps her arms around his neck and snuggles deep into his chest. This is when I look at Luke with big eyes and he smiles knowingly at me and nods that yes, they are too cute for words…yes, it’s unfair how precious they are…yes, she is too big too fast.
For my heart to be so rocked by this little girl who is somehow already an adult in my mind, for her to change everything about our lives so completely (for this is what happens when lives are threaded together—the child of best friends is somehow yours as well, your responsibility and joy) it is confirmed that my mom is right: somehow I’ll figure out motherhood.
But really, friend, what I’m most excited for—right now, anyway—is seeing my husband as a father. Granted, we’ve probably got some time before this happens, but watching my goddaughter with Caleb makes everything in me leap at the idea that one day, this will be our every day. One day, he will be Dad.
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P.S. We’d love to know your thoughts; be sure to share in the comments section below. This month we will draw TEN winners from our commenters and the winners will receive one of these two books, Hope for a Hurting Heart or To Let You Know I Care by our featured author this month, Cheryl Karpen.
Laura Hyers is a Tampa native, writer, and the newly wed wife of musician Caleb. She recently graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in literature and is currently teaching preschool. When not chasing a class of two-year-olds, Laura is writing and fighting fierce bouts of wanderlust. She loves music, reading, being near the ocean, and dreaming big over huge cups of coffee with her best friend Lakin. Laura blogs at http://littlebirdmarie.wordpress.com.
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