My incredible mom with Cameron the day he got his wolf badge at Cub Scouts
We set aside a special day to celebrate our mothers and motherhood and all we moms want to do is not be a mom for a day.
Weird, right?
We want someone else to make dinner, bring us breakfast, bathe the kids, etc...
And then on Monday we feel that big let-down of having to get back to our jobs.
I feel like we ought to celebrate the blessing of being mothers by performing our usual tasks with added gusto, flair and JOY!
But I don't. I want my husband on 24 hour diaper duty, just like all the rest of you.
It took my husband one year to figure out what Mother's Day is supposed to be like. Our first child was born near the end of April and so when my big day came around I was expecting a nice day of family time and relief from dish duty. Nothing more.
Mother's Day dawned bright and sunny and I was up with Cameron pretty early, getting him changed and fed. As the morning wore on, I began to get a little irritated that Andrew was still in bed.
By noon I was livid.
By one o'clock I hoped he had died in bed.
He emerged from the bedroom at two in the afternoon and turned on ESPN.
He got the silent treatment because I was afraid to open my mouth and unleash the wrath that had built up over the last several hours.
Later he made dinner, but there was nothing he could do to make up for the foul he had committed. It remains to this day something that evokes shame and dishonor whenever it's mentioned, ranking right above the time he watched the fishing channel and ate souvlaki in front of me when I was in labor.
Since that first notorious Mother's Day, Andrew has been a saint. He wakes up with the kids, takes care of them, threatens their lives if they wake me up from my nap, and does all the cooking, cleaning and diaper changing.
Unfortunately, my kids were too easy on Andrew until two years ago. No one ever woke up before ten and they saved their bowel movements for Monday. It's not normal. They are always awake by seven and have very regular digestive systems involving at least one poop a day. Unless it's Mother's Day.
So two years ago, I had had enough and insisted on feeding Drew Mexican food for dinner, including guacamole, and putting them all to bed an hour early.
It worked.
And I am happy.
And now, down to business.
In honor of this Mother's Day, tell me what quality, trait or characteristic you admire in your mother and how you'd most like to be like her.
Answering anonymously is always fine, if you'd prefer. But then we'll all just assume it's because you have nothing nice to say about your mom, whoever you are. I can't wait!
I can thnk of 1 trait i love about my mom (sad huh?) I love her dearly, but all the yelling and ignoring over the years has prevailed over the moments of joy. My mother was a great cook. I would stand at her side and she would show me how to make her wonderful cheesy lasgne. She taught me that spaghtti can be tasty. She showed me how to measure and be sure to correct me when it was not right. My mom worked hard at preparing well balanced meals throughout my childhood. I appreciate that very much. She was the best cook I knew.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be unfair to not mention my mother in law. My mother in law has taught me many life lessons, just by watching her and following her example. She taught me to be selfless, laugh more, and to give. To give of my time, resources, and talents.
Thank you to both of my mothers. I love them both equally. And I treasure the qualities in each of them.
How can I sum up the love for my Mom in one item? She became my best friend at the ripe old age of ten when the man of her dreams and mine died far too early. She then became my rock, my confidant, my caregiver, my teacher, my example.
ReplyDeleteWe became one. She taught me how to sew, how to cook, now to clean, balance the checkbook, keep finances going, pay a bill, write a check, garden, love plants, identify trees, sent me to camp fire girls to learn to love the outdoors, she taught me to crochet, took me to sewing classes. She was the best mother I could hope for and I am blessed to have her in my life today.
I am just home from a 9pm visit to take her flowers from my yard at both houses. Peonies and Iris. I'll post a photo on my blog tomorrow.
I love the selfless nature of my mother. She really would do anything for anyone of her 6 children. David Kestner
ReplyDeleteI admire my mother's thirst for knowledge and her ability to retain all the information she gathers. She's so smart!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I wish I had a bit of her anal housekeeping gene. That'd be nice.