Mother Truth

Allow me to explain…

This is what I’ve noticed in the past few years.  Here we are embarking on the most crucial and life-altering journey of our lives.  It starts with pregnancy doesn’t it?  A long and unfortunate hormonal journey and our moms are the first people that we cannot wait to tell.  Imagine the sense of pride and joy that a mother feels when they hear their daughter is pregnant.  My advice is wait the full three months to tell her!

The reason is this – absolutely nobody can upset you like your mom.  Nobody can make you lose your temper, doubt yourself, or offend you like your mom can.  She has the ability to make you think the craziest things JUST BECAUSE she said so!  There you are, obsessively reading your new pregnancy books, praying on every word, and there’s mom, calling to tell you it’s all bull shit.  “We didn’t do any of that stuff, and you turned out okay didn’t you?” Did we really?  All I remember hearing about growing up was how bad I was.  Maybe it had something to do with the corn syrup you dipped my pacifier in!

My truth for the day is that we’re always listening.  Even if we don’t take their advice, we cannot help but listen.  My mother is a mild hypochondriac so at least once every visit she puts her hand on my kids’ forehead and says: “She feels a little warm to me“.  Even though I know it’s crazy talk, I always find myself checking anyway!

The relationship is an overly sensitive one.  Mom, nothing means more to me than when you tell me I’m a good mom and nothing hurts more than when you seem to not think so.  We know how much you love us because we now have our own and there is nothing in the world as beautiful and unconditional as the love we have for them.  Let’s hear it for the mothers of newer mothers… Cheers! … And attempt to not speak out loud because when you do, although you can’t imagine it, we are always listening.

Photo from here

Come on, tell the truth.

I happen to be a firm believer that all kids are cute.  I know this is not true for everyone but I really do think so.  The overgrown heads, the bug eyes, the lack of hair on their heads but abundance on their faces, ears and lower backs; to me they’re still sweet but I see now that not many people agree!  I happen to have kids that most people think are physically gifted.  All that seems to do is give these über honest and rotten people the go ahead to bash other ones.  These people are relentless.  If they were speaking of my girls like that, I would be mortified!  More than that, I would admittedly cry myself to sleep at night.  Why do moms care so much?  Mostly because we know it’s easier to be on the so-called “cuter” side these days.  Depressing but true.

I have to be honest here, I am claiming to be Mother Truth.  Before I became a mom, I may have participated in some baby critique, not always favorable.  HOWEVER, since motherhood I see the beauty in all little humans… however I continue to care very much what other people think of mine.  Sad but true.

Photo from here

I was fully prepared to write my first post with an entirely different truth until this morning.  I just finished weeping so here’s to hoping I can pull myself together long enough to write.

First of all, tell the truth.  The first time you leave your new baby, you definitely hope they will miss you, and what better way to show you than by crying a little.  When they get older, it’s not that you want them to be hysterical but at least ask about you a couple times or maybe even fuss a bit at night.  RIGHT?

Everything seems to come back and bite you in the ass.  Gia just turned 2 and goes to preschool twice a week.  For 7 whole months she has cried every single morning when I leave.  I never wanted that.  My kid was for sure the one the teacher’s dreaded welcoming at the door.  When I would pick her up at the end of the day, the teacher would say things like “she only cried for 5 minutes today”.  The other moms would stare at me and you just knew what they were thinking; “poor lady, that little girl must be a handful.”  Change was sure to come…  Last week I noticed she started to improve; she only teared up a bit but I was in no way prepared for this morning.  She asked me if today was a school day and I said yes.  Usually the pouting would start there.  It did not.  I drove her to school and walked her in, ready for the protesting to begin.  It did not.  I took off her shoes, put on her slippers and walked her in.  I was sure it would start then but it did not.  Like all the other mornings, I scanned the room to make sure the teacher was available to take her because any minute now she’s gonna start to flip out… but no.  Instead, off she went, grabbed the teacher’s hand, turned around and said “Bye Mommy”.  My knees buckled, I said “I love you Gia, I’m so proud of you”.  Who was crying now?

Photos from: here