"Don't You Just Hate it When" -- Looking Back on Motherhood

From the pregnancy to the present, there is nothing I hated about being a mother. Yes, there are things I wish never affected my offspring that made them who they are today. The mountain top experiences never were far away from the valley of what seemed like doom.

The teen years for my children were the most memorable, partly because I had them all there at one time doing what came naturally for teens. These were the "good ole years" in my scrap book of wonder. Mornings seemed to require an early morning practice for someone which meant a ride to school before the bus could get them there on time. Since they, someday, had to be responsible for themselves, it was up to that person to obtain car pooling or tell me in advance that I was IT. If I was the designated driver my plans had to be made at least the night before. The other mother deserved that same token of thought. Today, each is independent, self sufficient along with thoughtful of others time.

During the days I was at home, I was expected to help in the home I was living in, so in return taught that to my children too. Chores had to be done before play entered their minds. Homework and projects were expected to be completed as assigned by the teachers. My husband was a wiz at math, so he helped in that precise area. I seemed to be given the rest of the subjects for some reason, not knowing why to this day.

One Friday evening, one of my children discovered a book report was due on Monday that had not been started in any way. Now grant you, this was a good student who let this assignment slip, I think. Saturday was skiing, which was the one sport this child enjoyed. The shuttle to the ski area picked up at the school at 8AM and did not return until 8PM. That shot the entire day for anything to do with the book report. I had always been a firm parent, but something snapped this time for me. I offered to read the book and tell it to her in story form. She then could ask me questions to be able to complete the report by Monday. Needless to say, I did not make a habit of this nor can I recall every doing that again for any of my three. Guess mothers are people too, who recall the times when something was important enough to bend some rules.

Each of my teens had 2 days that they cooked dinner. It was up to each of them to determine what had to be bought, in advance, so the meal was prepared. This way I got to know what they were planning too. Along with selecting, preparation and serving went the joy of not needing to clean up the cooking utensils or the plates either. My young son prepared macaroni and cheese and hot dogs a lot since they were easy for him to cook. We said grace before meals which was from someone other than the cook. One supper the grace still sticks in my mind. One of my daughters said "Bless the food that we are about to share and the drink that Danny forgot".

As I write this to all the young mothers that read this, I say ENJOY and do not sweat the small stuff. Have the fun by being a child with your child when they need you to be and a parent when you are that one and only they need. Truth is that my grown children are now in their late 30's and early 40's and I just hate it when I no longer have those years, way back when. Nothing can erase my memories that I cherish more than anything.