What Child is This?

What child is this who laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping


Alas, My Love, you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you well and long,
Delighting in your company.

Two songs. One melody. There is something about this song, the melody in particular, that has always stirred something deep inside me. It just takes me to another time and place and I really think it's an older melody than people realize. I have my own words to this melody that make no sense to me and I have no idea where they came from. They've just always been with me, ever since I can remember,and I used to hum them to my babies as a lullaby. What's important here, is not the words, but the melody. It's a lullaby. It's a babe in arms. And a mother's love.

Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a teacher. Somewhere in there, growing up, I wanted to get married and have kids. Most people do. But my dream in life was to become a teacher. Being a mother was sort of secondary. It was just the natural order of things and just what people did. Never did I imagine how central to my life it would become.

There is a huge difference between becoming a mom -- and mothering. To me, being a mom is what happens when the baby is born and entrusted to your care. It's about changing diapers and feeding and doctor appointments. Mothering is about tending to the needs of your child, falling in love, being there, taking time, providing guidance, learning patience, and a zillion other things that mean you really are the grown up here and you're going to take responsibility round the clock for the next 20-some years. Some people come by it naturally, some people have to learn it, some people never do. I had the upbringing to come by it naturally but it was hard for me. I was too matter of fact about things. To practical. I still am in too many ways. And for that reason, I am forever grateful to La Leche League for helping me learn the parts of mothering that didn't come naturally to me.

They believe that mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby. That when you sit down to nurse your baby, and all that oxytocin is realeased in your system, it not only helps relax you, but it releases endorphins that make you more loving. Nursing provides you and your baby with close contact so you take in all the facial cues and bonding begins. When you respond to baby's cries by nursing, you learn to be responsive and baby learns to trust. And it builds from there.

The gift of mothering I was given from La Leche League was so great, I felt the only way I could repay the gift I was given was to share it with others. I became a La Leche League Leader myself. Sharing breastfeeding information with other young mothers, and sharing parenting information by example. I served in that role for over 10 years. In addition to being a local group leader, I took on the role of administrator at the state level, and eventually served on their international board of directors, where I had the privilege of working with women from around the world to promote breastfeeding and mothering. When I returned to the classroom, the parenting I learned from La Leche League influenced the way I managed my classroom, and later, my school. It's had deep and long-lasting influences on me.

My girls mean the world to me. They are amazing young women, and I love being their mom.