My Mother’s Daughter
I’ve become my mothers daughter!
I find myself repeating history over and over again…. I’ve told my kids to quit crying “or I’ll give you something to cry about!”. “Don’t make me stop this car!”
I’m not saying that my mom is a bad mother, quite the opposite actually but there were certain phrases and actions in her parenting that I was certain that I wouldn’t copy. And then there are the threats that she could follow through with that my kids know I never would…. things like “Your arm is not hurt, but your butt will be if you don’t put that away!” Yeah, right. He laughs in the face of danger. Scratch that… he laughs at his push-over Mommy that spouts empty threats.
“Use your napkin, everyone appreciates it”. Huh? Yep, that’s one of my mom-isms and I say it on a regular basis.
Sometimes I’ve found myself messing up some of my mom imitations. Like the day that I wanted to watch President Obama be inaugurated. Nathan wouldn’t hush and I recalled an entry from my baby book. “Nancy had her first cookie today so that Daddy and I could watch the men land on the moon”. So I gave Nathan a cookie. It didn’t work as well as the original. I didn’t take into account that the “first cookie for Nancy” was given at 6 months of age and that just one cookie did the trick for toothless me. In Nathans case it took an entire row of Fig Newtons and then he somehow didn’t want any lunch!
Then there’s that fervent hope that keeps you awake at night. Your dreams of being a good role model to your children. But all too many times you utter the saying “Do as I say, not as I do!” or “Because I said so!” and you can feel your goals of being the perfect parent slipping away.
One of my mom-isms actually got my son in trouble at school. She has this horrible saying… can I type it? NO. Well yes I think I will. She says “those who go to bed with itchy butt, wake up with stinky fingers”, that’s her way of saying you need a bath. Well, my now 11 year old repeated this one at school in the 4th grade. He got time out. OOPS!
And the kicker? This past year while waiting in line to see Santa, I licked my hand and smoothed down my kids’ staticy hair! My 4 year old even had the perception to hollar “EWWWWW”. But did that stop me? No, I just said “Don’t whine or Santa will hear you!”
Man.. I am my mother AND father’s daughter then.. I like the one, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out”.. lol! For some reason tho, I just CANNOT put the fear of GOD in my girls.. just put me on the end of a stick and call me sucker…
Now, Taylor tells me I am “so mean” and I just say, “yes I am..” damn right! hahah… oh she is tuff.. very, very tuff…
LOL! I keep thinking the same thing especially after I say “Because I said so” after the 100th why of the day. I feel like I should look over my shoulder for one of my parents.
With this tale so close to my heart, I would like to relay a story that only I can tell. I am so proud of this mom, whose patience and love goes to the outer limits. But, the tale I wish to convey….one day when my daughter had a day surgery, I was camped at her house to care for the children when they woke. The day was normal with three boys in one house, no matter how large the house. But the event that warmed my heart was when the back door opened and mom walked in with her arms wide open. The little boys ran to those open arms so happy to be hugged by mom. The excitement and love those little boys showed to have mommy home was awesome. It is always a pleasure to be in the company of a family so filled with love, even with those wonderful little monsters that dwell there.
A loving mom and Grandmother
Geez Mom, you just made me cry!!!! LOL
lol I have a few mom-isms that I say…every time I hear it come out of my mouth I totally want to take it back…lol
Oh yes….. I can’t believe how many times I want to suck back my mother’s words that have just come out of my mouth
I did feel better this morning when, while relaying to Alyssa a story about having the wooden spoon broken on my bottom at her age, she gasped and said ” I am so glad you are my mum and not grandma! You are nowhere near as strict as her!”
heheheee