With Mother’s Day just around the corner, I’m curious what other doper moms treasure the most about motherhood.
My little girl is only 3 months old so I’m still a very new mother. One of my most favorite things is when she is lying on my lap after nursing and we are looking at each other. She looks at me with her big blue eyes and I look at her as though she is the best thing to ever happen to me. Sometimes we even have “cooing” conversations in her baby language that I can understand. These moments make it all worth it!
Nursing is a very special, intimate time–your child will never be that little again, and those cooing moments are certainly to be cherished.
I treasure the notion of giving roots and wings.
I love being available to my kids to talk about stuff, share their dreams and plans, sympathize and brainstorm if things go awry.
I have one grownup kid living in Europe, I am proud that he’s been able to get himself over there and remain gainfully, legally employed. I love when he calls or we Google-talk.
I have another kid who is 16, not the hardest age, but not the easiest. I love when we talk politics, listen to music together while cooking dinner, or when we take the dogs for a romp a the beach.
Those moments make all of the wrecked cars, 2am phone calls, and other assorted disasters worth it.
I like talking to them, and exploring their thoughts and conclusions. Kids are interesting (well, some of them are), and I always come away with either a new nugget of something (new perspective or even a fact) or just a good feeling that there will be good people in the world when I am gone. (that sounds egotistical, but it’s not). I like sharing jokes with them and even entering snark contests with the teens. Teens are great–they’ll drive you nuts and make you angry, but they are neat.
My kids are so disparate in age, I need to take at least two favorites to fit it all in.
With my 13 year old boy, my favorite thing is seeing him becoming a man, but coming back to Mom for a hug. I watch him chop wood, build a fire, exchange friendly punches with the other firetenders, and then get a little distant and quiet. Soon he creeps quietly out of the fire circle and comes around behind my chair and I feel his strong arms (which are getting hairy) snake around my neck. It’s just a quick squeeze, no longer the lingering bear hugs, and a kiss on the top of my head. Then he’s off growing up again.
With my 15 month old daughter, it’s Baby Kisses. She’s just learning how to kiss, and - with much begging and prompting - gives these huge wet slobbery messy kisses, then jerks her head back and laughs, scrunching her nose in the cutest way. She’s just so pleased with herself!
But my favoritest favorite moment is watching the two of them together, when he’s playing with her, holding her or changing her diaper. I know he’s going to be an awesome father someday, and she’ll always have a hero in her big brother.
Being able to shop for groceries at 9 AM when only the old people are there.
No, no. (Well, that is pretty sweet.) Actually it’s probably when they learn something new and show me. The other day young Whatsit Jr. informed me that “chameleons can change colors when their feelings change.” My first impulse was that this was wrong, because I was sure I remembered learning that chameleons only change color based on the color of what they’re in front of, or sitting on, or whatever. But I checked, and sure enough, chameleons can change color due to stress. So Whatsit Jr. taught me something new, at the advanced age of 4.
WhyNot --I have to agree. Mine are not so spread in age (16, 14 and 8), but I feel I have the best of all worlds. I get the stimulus of the teens, and the sweetness of a second grade boy.
