I AM A WONDERFUL MOTHER....I AM A TERRIBLE MOTHER

I confess. I watch Super Nanny. Why? Because it makes me feel like the best mother in the world. Really. It's on Monday nights - ABC I think. Any time you are feeling like a failure as a parent, try to find it. You will truly be amazed at how some people choose to parent...well actually choose NOT to parent. And you will feel like somebody will be knocking on your door any minute to present you with that all illusive Mother-of-the-Year Award.
So this past Monday I sat around all evening like a slug and watched Super Nanny. And I did my usual commenting to the TV screen; "Are you KIDDING me?" "These people are afraid of their kids." Blah, blah, blah. I was feeling PRETTY good about myself by the time Super Nanny had saved one more family.

Then, continuing in slug mode, I flipped channels until I came upon my new hero, Michelle Duggar. The Duggars are on the Learning Channel. They have 16 children. SIXTEEN CHILDREN.
Have you seen them? They are a very conservative family in Arkansas who have gained all this public attention because they are raising 16 children. They did a whole show about the house they built, and this past week was about a big vacation the family took. ALL EIGHTEEN OF THEM.
The Duggars homeschool, and their children range in ages from 18 down to a few months old. Their are two sets of twins.
When I first heard of them, I thought I'd see a husband who was a little fanatical about the word "submit." I thought maybe I'd see a family who was a little superior in their attitude and stand-offish from "the world." But no, this is a couple who truly believe they will have the children God intends them to have. They were genuinely loving and respectful - one for the other. The kids were well behaved and respectful, but not in an unnatural sense. There is humor in their home. There is tenderness and patience and discipline. And that mom? She truly glows. She truly has the spirit of God living in her. In fact, at one point I squinted and really concentrated and I am sure I saw her halo and wings. Really.
As I listened to the children one night telling the audience some house rules (amid bloopers and giggles)I was amazed at how easy she made it seem. "Never raise a hand to hit. Never raise a foot to kick. Never raise an object to throw. Never raise a voice to yell." And that is when I said it.
I AM A TERRIBLE MOTHER!!!!
Oh my gosh! Some days I feel like I am drowning in uncertainty and my own incompetence trying to raise my two children. TWO CHILDREN. And she is raising SIXTEEN and making it look easy. Her husband is one lucky man, and her children are SIXTEEN lucky kids.
I bet she never lies around on a Monday night watching TV in slug mode...