It's Mother's Day

Today is my 19th year of being a mother. There have been good years and some rough years but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Of course that is what you expect people to say right? Now let's talk the truth....

The first few years of being a mother is a pretty thankless job! No one is there to say thank you for changing my diaper, feeding me, not minding if I spit up on you, constantly picking up after me and seeing to every basic need I have. Not only do we do it as a mother, but for some odd reason God has chosen to put some weird enzyme into our bodies that makes us LOVE doing it! I swear that is my theory because now 19 years later I think "EW GROSS".

I now think of how odd it is that I could change the diaper that had the most gosh awful mess in it and still love that little smiling, chubby, bright eyed creature that produced the mess. Now days if I am around someone whose baby has created a foul smelling mushy mess in their diaper I politely say "Girl you better see what is wrong because it smells like something died!".
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Then our children become toddlers. Oh what joy!! We are constantly running after our newly mobile beings that our children have become and telling them "NO NO". Now days I shutter when I am in a store and hear the wail of some toddler screaming at an ear piercing volume because they can't have that candy bar that is so tightly protected in their little fist. And I think back to my days of being the mother of a toddler and I think "DEAR LORD THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SURVIVE!"
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Then the wonderful day comes that our children start elementary school. WOOHOO! A little break for Mommy! Um but not always. If you have "that child" *okie won't go into too much detail* you learn that others need to discipline your child, and sometimes you have to give them a few pointers on how to handle your ornery child. I see children this age now and I wonder just how many other mothers are known as "the one whose child had the most time outs" and I sigh to myself and think "None.....just none".
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Now on to Junior High and teenage years. Our children are bundles of raging hormones, bodily changes and attitudes out of this world. We sit back and wonder "what happened to my child? Where did that loving bundle of joy go?".

Let them get sick and they want us there to rub their backs, hold their hands, etc while they throw up in the toilet or a bucket. When they have fever they want to lay next to us while their bodies are burning up, and we allow them to even though we are sweating from the heat their feverish bodies are producing. We are only their mother if it is convenient for them. Other times we are "the biggest idiot in the world that won't let me do anything".

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Ahhh high school starts and our kids have opportunity to make accomplishments in their lives that they feel will be the most important thing EVAH! Just as soon as we start to feel proud of our children becoming more independent and making the right choices...they fall on their face and somehow it is the fault of us, yep..the mother! The discipline methods have to change at this point but, they have developed the ability to understand we control the most important thing they need....STRINGS TO THE PURSE! The most fantastic weapon any mother has to use against their child!

I see the parents of high school kids now and think "whew I am glad those years are over! Good luck to them".

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On to college and adulthood, freedom and getting the kids out the house! I thought it would be different somehow when my daughter moved out. I thought I would save money but she informed me "Mom-mart is open 24/7" and I have food and toilet paper come up missing at times.

I do have to say I think our kids finally start to have true appreciation for us at this point! They begin to realize how difficult it is to be on their own and how much as mothers we have done for them. At this age our kids are starting to develop the frontal lobe of their brain a little and start to listen to what we are saying while talking to them instead of having a thinking string such as this.... "I wish that idiot would shut up because I am not listening...oh I need to get my nails done...I wonder if Shelby is coming home this weekend...ew that girls shirt does not go with those pants...SQUIRREL!...OMG she is still talking...is there a party this weekend?...".

I attended the graduation of my eldest God daughter yesterday and I was so proud of her accomplishing this life goal. My daughter is a freshman in college and I sat there at the graduation and looked around at some of the mothers I thought "I hope I can tap into their secret on how to survive the college years".

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Sorry for the yakkity post today. I just felt like typing out some feelings about being a mother. And I will add....

Sure I wish certain events could have been different but if they had then neither of us would be the people we are now. She has gone from being my loving adorable baby, to the terrorizing toddler, to the fun child, to the hormonal dramatic teenager, to the young adult who is not only a my daughter but also starting to consider me a friend.

Honestly, even with all the ups and downs over the years I would not trade being the mother to my daughter for anything in the world.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MY READERS!!