No Strings Attached

Kathleen David's weblog

Mother’s Day 2008

Posted By on May 11, 2008

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers and Mother-types who read this. I hope you have a very nice day.

This morning I got a new handheld video gaming system from the kids. Earlier this week I got my mulching mower which I love. It moves so smoothly. This afternoon we are going out for a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant that we all like. I will at least call my Mommy if not do a video chat with her and my dad.

Tomorrow is the rest of the root canal and then the oral surgery so good thoughts about noon Eastern Time tomorrow would be nice. I can’t say that I am looking forward to that but I am looking forward to my jaw not hurting.

But that is tomorrow. Today I get to think about being a Mom. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Mom but then in my 20s I didn’t want it and by my mid 30s I figured it wasn’t to be. But the fates have a funny way of doing things sometimes. Now in my 40s I am mommy to Caroline and step-mommy to Shana, Gwen!, and Ariel.

Parenting is the toughest job you’ll ever love. I don’t care what the military says. It is not easy or convenient to be a parent. But, for me, it is so worth it. This morning I got hugs and cuddles from Caroline who whispered in my ear, “I love you Mommy.” I get to watch her grow and develop. I try to steer her in the right direction (pens go on paper not anywhere else). And I try to show her by example of how to behave in this world.

She is not the perfect child by any stretch. She has a stubborn streak a mile long. She will avoid things by pretending not to hear what she is being told. But she does do as she is told eventually and she does behave in public.

She is an artist. I know this because she told me that she was an artist and I am a puppeteer. She hasn’t quite twigged onto the fact that more than one person can be something. I also love watching her drawing progress. I am not trying to steer her but let her artistic vision develop naturally. She has gone from blobs that need some translation to figures that you know what they are when you first see them. She is now working on landscapes. It is so fun to watch her development.

She is very athletic. She has a lot of energy and loved to run and play to burn it off. She is good with the soccer ball and not bad with a bat. She wants me to play Basketball with her and she is getting closer to being able to get it in the hoop (we have it lowered at the moment).

She is a sponge that absorbs the world around her. Nothing gets past her which makes for some interesting conversations since she’ll bring up stuff we talked about a couple of days ago like it was the previous sentence. Can’t fault her on that, I did and sometimes still do that so she comes by it honestly.

So I have my first Mother’s Day card that she made for me. I’ll put it with other treasures she has given me over the years, along with the memories that she provides for me each and every day.

I am grateful I am Caroline’s Mommy.


Comments

2 Responses to “Mother’s Day 2008”

  1. Bill Mulligan says:

    Happy Mothers day to the bestest Mom on all the internets!

  2. Tim Lynch says:

    And a happy Mother’s Day to you too, Kath!

    I think Lisa had a good day, overall — breakfast in bed (toast a la Katherine), some presents (a bracelet from Katherine that she made in school, and a picture blown up poster-sized with some appropriate dialogue added by yours truly), a nice lunch, and then playtime in the park.

    Considering that it was bound to be bittersweet for me (it being the first M-Day since my mom passed away in October), I think the day went really well. Good times.

    And it’s interesting how many of the things you say about Caroline seem to map to Katherine as well: the stubborn streak (oh, heck yeah) and the spongelike nature for sure. It’s amazing how much stuff she remembers.

    Hope you had a terrific day.

    TWL