burdens or blessings

While reading Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson and Gennady Spirin with Hazel at bedtime tonight, it occurred to me that I am like a frog, a male midwife toad to be precise. This amphibian carries his sticky eggs on his back and crouches under a wet log to keep them moist. When he feels the tadpoles squirming, he hops into a pool where they can hatch. Despite the gender difference, among other things, I feel a kinship with this burdened amphibian. I'm sure he'd rather be swimming or cavorting egg-free somewhere in the swamp but, after settling down with a female, he takes it upon himself to ensure the safety of his posterity. He knows instinctively that these tiny lives cannot survive without his constant and attentive care. He enters a sort of hibernation, in which his froggy cares are simplified and focused on performing this one crucial task, to preserve his species. During this time, he gives almost undivided attention to the undeveloped and vulnerable tadpoles on his back. He carries them, protects them, and finds an environment within which they have the best chance of survival. He patiently bears this period of inactivity, knowing it will soon pass and he will have performed his duty well.
I admire the midwife toad in his dedication and concentration. He knows how important it is to care for his young and he doesn't allow anything else to distract him from his responsibility. He literally carries them on his back until they can survive without him.
Often I feel overly burdened by my three babies. Discouraged that I am not measuring up to the standards of success found in the world. That to find happiness I must accomplish some great thing. Reading about the male midwife toad and his actions has reminded me that nothing else I do in my life will be as meaningful or as fulfilling as being a mother. There is no way to measure the impact I can have on these young lives. I know it is a God-given responsibility to nurture, protect and teach my children, one worthy of my very best efforts. So I'll keep carrying my three babies, on my back and in my arms until they're ready to venture out on their own.