Ordinary Days in Mommatown

I’m so proud to be a mom on Mother’s Day! But, I also savor the treasured title on the 364 days that lead up to it. Have you counted how many times your children say “Mom” in a single day? Well, it’s not just “Mom” though, right? What they actually say is, “Momma-watch,” “Momma-cumear,” “Momma-needu,” “Momma-wantu,” “Momma-hepme”…multiple times in a row, as if you cannot hear them. But when the day is done, I absolutely LOVE that they call me “Mom.”

I delight in the perfectly ordinary days in Mommatown. I take pleasure in the precious moments when they make me laugh uncontrollably. I like that my son thinks he needs to be 35 before he can start dating and I think it’s cute that he says he’s not getting married because he’s goin’ fishin’.

I marvel at how children make us aware of our weaknesses, too. It’s hard for me to get anywhere on time and I’m reminded of this when my daughter asks, “What does early mean, Mom?” Ugh.

I enjoy their honest, simple, from-the-heart answers. My mom was doing a baby animal pairing puzzle with my daughter and asks her, “What is the match for the dog?” looking for her to say “puppy.” My daughter boldly exclaims, “A chinchilla, a chinchilla!” I guess she’s watching a little too much Diego…

I couldn’t keep a straight face when my daughter kept asking for a “Chick-fil-A battery” and I finally understood what she meant. “Do you mean a triple A battery?” And, I wonder how many other moms have a burning desire to ask their youngest, “You wanna an egg roll with that?” because she persistently says, “Mo Hong, Hong, Hong” when she wants to listen to another song or “Hoi, Hoi, Hoi” when she wants to hold something?

I bask in the joy of amusement that my son honestly thinks all women who go to spas have to walk around with cool whip and pickles on their face. And, I guess I’ll never understand how my baby’s arms grew two inches overnight, enabling her to reach EVERYTHING in my bathroom. Why oh why did she cover her face with my last few sweet morsel drops of under-eye cream? I guess I’ll just use white-out in its place. Maybe no one will even notice.

There are a lot of questions in Mommatown, like why do my things always disappear? I can never find my Q-tips, floss, cotton rounds or Kleenex. They’re forever stuffed away in a Hello Kitty purse never to be seen again. Why on earth do my kids insist on cleaning my toothbrush with baby soap and lotion? Why are they overcome with insatiable hunger and unquenchable thirst the moment they hear the last click of the seat belt? And, finally, why do my offspring always have to go “number two” when port-a-potties are the only choice? Why?

All I have to say is that mothers are just plain awesome. Period. Show a mother you love her – laugh with her and make her smile! Do you want to start out your Mother’s Day feeling fancy? My Aunt Edie suggests you drink your morning OJ from a wine glass! Happy Mother’s Day!