I'll be the first to admit it -- hosting international students can be a challenge.  There are the obvious issues:  more laundry, more shopping, more cooking, more homework, more scheduling.  And the not-so-obvious issues:  What should these kids call me? Am I a Mom, a friend, a guardian or just their driver?!

We are currently hosting our 4th, 5th and 6th South Korean students, three wonderful sisters who have no idea that they are blessing me even more than I am blessing them.  Simply having them in our home alters the dynamic and makes me more aware of what I say and do.

You have seen this phenomenon at work.  Dinner is burning in the oven, the kids are fighting, the cat is throwing up on the stairs and you are about to lose your mind -- when the phone rings.  You take a deep breath, stop yelling for just one second, pick up the phone and say in your sweetest, calmest voice, "Hello?"  You do this because you want the person on the line to think that you have it all together.

That's what my Korean exchange students do for me.  Not that I am trying to trick them or pretend I'm someone I'm not -- I'm playing the part of the Mom I WANT to be, and I care about their opinion.  I want them to tell their parents, "I'm so glad we got placed with the DelliGattis!  They are so much fun!"  My own children have seen my worst days, they have eaten the burned dinners and watched me toss the cat outside mid-gag, they have heard me have a "Mommy meltdown" and are familiar with my worst.  But the exchange students haven't experienced those things, and having them in my home makes my parenting more intentional, to the benefit of everyone who has to live with me.  They make me a better Mom, more likely to stay calm, to be silly, to laugh instead of cry over spilled milk.  I am grateful for the reminder that my attitude and behavior are a choice; it's a wonderful incentive especially when times are tough and I'm tempted to react to the struggles in my life without careful forethought.

So if you want to know what kind of Mom I am, please ask an exchange student and not one of my own!