A couple of months ago, I received a letter in the mail stating it was time to renew the life insurance policy on my wife. In that letter it mentioned that life has probably changed since we took out the policy on her, and to carefully consider how much coverage we would need in order to fill her shoes.
They were right about one thing: Life has changed in ten years. For starters, we added Maddy, Savy, and Katie to our family. That being said, how could I possibly put a dollar amount on filling her shoes?
Moms are too valuable to cheapen with a price tag. In my house, my girls go to Mom when they are hurt. I tend to fix it with a Band-Aid and an "It's not that bad" pep talk. Moms make a big deal about the finger paintings of a tree that really look like an elephant. Moms keep yellow weeds carefully picked by little hands and proudly display them in a vase by the window. Moms can do hair!!!! Moms always seem to know where everything is that dads are looking for (even though we don't put anything where it belongs). If my girls didn't have a mom, the house would never smell like fresh-baked cookies. As our girls have grown, the mom in the house is better at having the conversations that require a certain level of delicacy. These are just some of the little things that go unnoticed, yet make moms special.
And how can I possibly put a price on virtue? Webster defines success as the accumulation of material possessions or the attainment of a position of power, prestige, and fame. Being a mom does not promise any of that. A mom understands that quietly and simply raising a family is a success that society, and Webster, does not recognize. A mom (my wife especially) sees the importance of the latter and is willing to sacrifice the former so the children she is raising understand the importance of character, virtue, and a healthy marriage.
Most importantly, the woman my girls call Mom understands the power of prayer. It is comforting to know that my wife prays for me and my family.
So, I still don't have an answer. I just picked a number, because I know that if I had all the money in the world, I could not begin to fill the shoes of the one who goes by Mom. I am thankful and blessed to be married to such a wonderful mom to my girls And the cool thing is, she cherishes the title Mom.
Thank you to all you Moms out there. You truly have the most important job in the world.
Written by: Tim Compton is an account executive for Serendipity Media, LLC. He's always surrounded by women—at home he lives with his wife and five daughters, and at work, he's the only man in an office of fourteen women.
