Happy Mother's Day! Although it's technically Mother's day, today I’m also thankful for my mother-in-law (of course!), grandparents, aunts, and friends who have touched my life in their own motherly way and I am so grateful for their presence in my life. And of course, I’m super thankful for my mother.
With everything that’s been going on lately my mom got jipped on a mom blog on her birthday. Luckily, mother’s day is here to save me!
I wasn’t exactly the easiest child. I’m fairly terrified that my child will be like me and that’s a very scary thought. The biggest issue was that I didn’t go to bed. I didn’t like going to bed because I was scared of the boogie man, monsters, and someone abducting me. That last one was Oprah’s fault because she had a special about child abductions. One night in particular I refused to go to bed because I was just sure I’d be abducted. My tired, frustrated mother decided to use logic and math to fix the situation. She asked me how many nights I had slept safely in my bed. I stared blankly at her. She was asking ridiculous questions. She then asked how old I was. I think I was 7 or something like that so that’s what I responded. She asked me how many days were in a year. 365…are we going somewhere with this? Then she told me to multiply those. I can’t even multiply those in my head NOW so I’m not sure what she was thinking. She caught on and did it herself. She probably just made up some number but I was 7 and believed her because she was usually right back then. So, by her calculations I had been safe for 389,541 nights and therefore I had no reason to believe that tonight would be any different. I quickly corrected her by stating that I had had so many safe nights that I was bound to be in for an unsafe one where some bad guy would of course find the house, know my window, and abduct me. I may have been little but I believed what I believed. This happened quite frequently and I’m pretty sure it’s the thing that wore here down the most. I don’t remember what happened next but I think she finally gave up n frustration. It’s amazing she even talks to me now.
I was also pretty picky with food and one day announced that I was going to be a vegetarian. I had never really liked meat but after learning more about the process of getting a cute little cow to be turned into a burger I never wanted to eat the stuff again. I figured citing animal cruelty might get me a pass on the steak they kept trying to get me to eat. Up until then I would eat about half of my meat and throw the other half under the table. We had a cat but he couldn’t eat all the steak. I should have lobbied for another cat or cleaned up my mess later but I never thought of that. One day my mom found my meat pile that the cat hadn’t had a chance to clean up yet. I was in big trouble then and she started checking under the table regularly. She never figured out that I was instead putting it in my napkin. Eventually I choked on steak one day, my mom watched as my aunt did the Heimlich maneuver, and I never had to eat it again. Had I known that, I would have choked long before. These are the ideas I came up with. I once broke a plate so I could get out of dish duty. It backfired though – I still had to do dishes and I got in trouble.
So this is the type of child that I was. Obviously I had my good times which must have far outnumbered the bad. Even with my issues and annoyances my mother was amazing and I have so many good memories. I remember her taking me to the Nutcracker with my aunt and cousin one Christmas. She always tried her best to make holidays special, even the small ones. Christmas has always been a magical time of year for me and I attribute this to the wonderful memories I have of decorating, baking, and the traditions that were created during this time. I’d get cards for every holiday which is probably why I’m addicted to cards myself. I’d find notes in my lunches when I was little and she’d frequently cut my sandwich into a heart which was super awesome. She always takes the time to go the extra mile and it’s obvious that she does what she does because of love.
I laugh at her for calling Facebook facepage and for always forgetting how to upload pictures to her computer. I laugh when I go to the store with her and she talks to everyone around her and says something funny and slightly embarrassing to the checker. But, she’s my mom and she wouldn’t be the same without this.
As I’ve gotten older our relationship has changed and although I always know that she’s there for me as a parent, watching out for my best interests, it’s become more of a friendship. I call her for advice and although she can’t always solve my problems, she is always there to listen. I can’t imagine my life without my mother. She’s always been my biggest supporter and she’s always pushed me, even when it meant I’d be leaving her….even when it meant that I’d call crying and tell her that she abandoned me. She’s listened to my anxious ramblings more times than I could ever count. She’s never taken the easy way out and I know she’s sacrificed a lot (mostly her sanity) to get me to where I am now. I think she deserves some sort of award!
This mother’s day I’m so very grateful that God has blessed me with such a wonderful mother. I love you mom!
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