When everything that could go wrong, does.

It’s Murphy’s Law. And when you apply that to parenting, well, it’s epic. And usually quite true in our house. So, I mentioned a few laws for parenting on my blog Facebook page the other day.

If you wear white, your child will play in mud.
If you declare the family virus over, the dog will puke.
If you mop the floor, a juice box will explode.
If it’s clean sheet day, the bed wetter will strike again.
If you desperately need a nap, they won’t.
If you catch up on laundry, wait, that will never happen.

And as usual, my friends over there had responses that made my day.

So, on this Monday, I thought I’d share some of my favorites. I hope it makes your day, too.

If you change a diaper, your baby will poop. – Sarah Rodrigues 

If the kids are away for the night, you can’t sleep. -Heather Duggins

If you cook their favorite meal, they won’t eat it. -Sara Sorenson

If you vacuum the car, a bag of cereal will magically appear out of no where and EXPLODE in your back seat. -Kayla Kingsley

If you need to go somewhere, the gas tank will be empty. -Jennifer Vermeire

If they’re playing quietly and the phone rings, they’ll need you right NOW.

If you donate a forgotten toy, they’ll remember it and beg to have it back  -Elizabeth Smillie

If your kids decided to play together instead of fight, one or both with get hurt and the crying starts anyway. -Heather Ingrum

If you only pack one diaper, they will poop twice. -Kimberly Daley

If no one’s been in sight for 15 minutes and you decide to go to the bathroom, you will immediately be swarmed with company. -Hellen Potts

If you look good, NO one sees you. If you stay in your pjs-no make up- haven’t showered-smell like baby puke, EVERYONE stops by to see you! -Sarah Rock

If you finally have a child sleep through the night, you will inevitably find that you, in fact, are sleep trained so that you wake up at the times when your toddler typically does. -Sarah Klawikowski

If you clean the bathroom one or more of your boys when then pee all over the seat and the floor. -Brook Wright

If you are about to get intimate with your spouse, they will start screaming bloody murder in their sleep. -Michelle Anderson

If buy a favorite snack in bulk… Suddenly no one likes it anymore. -Joni Thompson

If you get out of the car , with your arms , elbows , fingers and pinkies loaded with stuff, a child will drop something and refuse to pick it up the 5 feet from the car to the house . ( And stand their and cry over their one thing they dropped). -Alex Jackson

Finally get the carpets cleaned. (not the cheap cleaning either – the GOOD one) Someone will throw up immediately after. Red punch. -Julie Crockett

If you plan to get up before the kids, they will get up earlier. -Amy Corley

You’re welcome.

Do you have one to add in the comments? C’mon it’s fun. It will make you feel better.

My teenager stood at my bedroom door unsure if she should come into the war zone. She was the only child in the house who didn’t have a fever or her own puke bowl.

We were on day six of the Apocalypse, also known as the stomach bug from the pit of Hell. Believe me, you don’t want details. But if it can be washed, it has been. And I’ve cried twice.

We canceled Spring Break plans and I warned people at the door that we were quarantined to our home.

My bedroom was littered with pillows and pallets and pathetic little people.

And I was in the middle of it.

“Mom, aren’t you afraid to catch it?” My teen asked from a safe distance. I had Lysol in one hand and an empty gatorade bottle in the other. I look down at my rumpled shirt and blew my unwashed hair out of my eyes, “Honey, I’m the Mom.”

It was a simple answer that held volumes of truth. It said:

Mothers push past our own fear of sickness, intimidating laundry piles, smells that turn our stomach and we snuggle up to sick breaths and feverish brows because that’s what we do. 

We run straight into danger–whether it’s sickness, hurting kids, temper tantrums or math homework–  we fight the battles instead of turning away from them. 

Some days we long to hold up a white flag of surrender. But instead, we mother on.

Motherhood is about sacrifice. It’s about putting someone else’s needs in front of our own. It’s about risk. It’s about bravery.

It’s about facing our fears head on.

And sometimes it’s a very real danger-the kind that asks you to kneel beside the bed of a desperately ill child or on your knees for a desperately wayward one. The battle can be bloody and heart wrenching.

We don’t always feel strong or courageous. Some days we cry and rant, but we don’t quit. Most days, we feel outnumbered and out of ammo. But our inadequacies don’t make us any less a mother-soldier.

Motherhood is about reaching deep and when you find nothing left to give, you reach for God.

The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved. -Samuel Smiles

I’m tired. I hurt for my kids. I’m disappointed sickness consumed our week. (But I am rejoicing that my little sick platoon can aim their vomit in a container now-silver lining).

I’m learning: When God stops you in your tracks, it’s time to slow down and pull close.

Just not too close, ifyouknowwhatImean.

My daughter returned to the Sick Room, holding two bright balloons she’d decorated for her siblings. She crossed over and handed them the simple gift and it made us all smile. Then she said the words I dreaded, “Mom, I don’t feel so well…” My husband came home a couple of hours later with the same confession.

And even though this battle is small and fleeting, I’ll conquer it. It will strengthen me for the unseen ones ahead.

Because it’s not if I’ll need to be brave again, it’s just a matter of when.

She walked toward the car and I could tell by the wide grin on her face, she made the cut for the first Junior High track meet. Every week, the coaches plugged in the best times for each event, but with bad weather, the kids didn’t have much time to practice for their first meet.

“What event?” I asked, smiling at the way my daughter lives fearlessly.

“100 Meter Hurdles and the 300 Meter ones,” she said confidently.

I leave the pasted smile up a moment longer than I planned. Hurdles? My momma heart cringed.

“Great! Have you, um,  done hurdles before?” I asked, my hesitancy proof of my doubt.

“Yes, today.”

Yay. (note sarcasm) “I hope I don’t fall and end up on youtube,” she laughed.

My husband, a high school hurdler tried to give her a few last minute tips. We bundled up for the cold and long meet, waiting our daughter’s debut track appearance. I was a nervous wreck.

With her hot pink spikes and hair pulled back, lean body stretching, I hardly recognized the young lady waving at me from her lane. She was such a new runner, she opted not to use the starting blocks and flinched when the gun started the race.

We cheered wildly as she ran her heart out.

With each hurdle in her path, I held my breath. She was running a fierce race, but at some point her back foot tipped the obstacle and she tumbled and fell hard — i n  –s l o w — m o t i o n — right in front of us. The crowd gasped and my heart broke, not because she fell, but because I couldn’t help her up, seeing her physical pain, feeling the emotional.

But in less than a second and without thought to her bruised and bleeding body, she was up and running, hurdling over the remaining obstacles in her path.

She finished the race.

I pushed thru the crowd, searching pony tails, looking for my girl. I couldn’t find her.

After a visit to the medic, she reappeared, limping, embarrassed smile and shrug, in spite of this:

“You finished,” I said proudly.

We asked her if she was okay. She nodded, but I could tell she wasn’t. I pulled her over to a dark corner, “Mom, I don’t think I can do the next race. I’m really scared.”

This is where I wanted to just pack her up and tell her she can quit.

Instead, I held onto her and I gave her the best pep talk of my life. And I prayed for her right there under the bleachers and I left the decision up to her.

Because now it was more than an event at a junior high track meet. It was real life and real choices and real pain and a real mom who couldn’t fix the broken place.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t wait around to see what she decided. My mom had just gotten out of surgery and I had an hour drive to the hospital. I hugged her tight and left.

I can’t describe how hard it was to walk away. It’s hard seeing your children hurt, but it’s not the first time on this parenting road or the last. I’m not sure it gets easier.

I pulled the car over halfway to the hospital so I could text my daughter and tell her I loved her and no matter what, she’d already won.

But she knew that:

The next morning, while we bandaged her banged up leg, I told her how proud I was.

“Mom, wouldn’t you be more proud if I’d won?” she asked.

It’s a good question. But winning isn’t always winning. “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Heb. 12:2

“You did win, honey. You finished.”

Life is full of obstacles at every turn. There are financial stresses, family issues, hard parenting days, lonely moves, just real life hurdles that trip us up and leave us a bloody mess.

In those moments we don’t learn the lesson on the ground, we discover it when we get back up.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I hope you finish strong today.

Because that’s what winning is really about.

And it’s the lesson that keeps on giving. An update-She finished 5th overall at her second track meet in the 300m Hurdle race: