Motherhood Matters: I Am a Mother

One of our local stations here is doing a Ten Day Challenge celebrating Motherhood.

I'm in. How about you?

-DAY ONE-

THE CHALLENGE:

Join us in declaring “I Am a Mother” and

share the message with five women in

your life.

“OF ALL THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN,

THE GREATEST IS TO BE A MOTHER.”

-LIN YUTAN

When I was younger my mom would ask me what I wanted to be when I got older. My answers were many and varied. I wanted to be a Zoo Keeper and then a Veterinarian. I also wanted to be a truck driver one week and then a Police Officer the next.

(If it were possible I totally would have been an Angel who worked for Charlie because they got to do all sorts of cool stuff...except I would have been a modest Angel...no bikini's for me.)

And my mom would softly ask "But don't you want to be a mom?"

By the time college rolled around I didn't. I didn't want to be a mom.

(Even though my course of study- Child Development and Family Studies-was in order to help me be a better mom. If nothing else I was a dichotomy)

I had 25 nieces and nephews who I had done much babysitting for during my short 18 years. So my dream was to move back East, become independently wealthy (not sure how I was going to accomplish that!) and have each of those nieces and nephews come out and spend their 16th Summer with me in my huge mansion.

Thankfully that dream didn't come true. Nor did any from my earliest childhood.

One marriage and four beautiful children later... I am a wife and

I Am a Mother.

And will forever be grateful that I am. I can't even begin to put into words what being a mother means to me.

I'm not going to lie. It's been HARD. Really, really hard. Harder than anything I could have imagined.

But in a good way.

And it's been wonderful...

and beautiful

and joyous

and fun!

I guess I still am a dichotomy....

and I Am a Mother.

Top Ten Reasons why I like going to Parent/Teacher Conferences

#10.

I get to go back to High School...

MY high school.

Yes my son attends the same HS that I attended.

I will admit it's slightly freakish

but I like it.

I enjoyed HS.

#9.

I get to see friends who are teaching there

and the ONE teacher who still teaches there

from when I was a student, Ms. Stanton.

(Who was one of my all time favorite teachers)

She actually remembered me

and we had a great chat.

Jona could possibly have her as a teacher for

English next year.

Fingers crossed!

#8.

Getting told by afore mentioned teacher

that I haven't changed one. single.

bit. since HS.

(I thanked her and refrained from pointing out the

100 or so extra L Bees on my body)

#7.

Listening to Footloose on the radio as I

drive up the road to the HS.

If Footloose doesn't bring the memories

of days of yesteryear flooding back

nothing will.

"Eight hours. For what?

Oh tell me what I got.

I got this feeling

That times just a holding me down!"

I actually jumped out of my seat and yelled when

Ren flew off the deck at prom and kicked Chuck in the face.

All talk of a remake is heresy.

Unless it's all done by Flight of the Conchords...

#6.

Seeing that they've actually named the hallways there

in the school and that one of them is named

Asgard.

#5.

Getting asked

"Are you related to Mr. Ormond

that used to teach here?"

and answering in the affirmative

and that he is my Father in law.

#4.

Seeing all the changes that they have made

to the HS so that while it does take

me back to go there I know that they

are a forward thinking and moving

school and they aren't stuck in the past.

#3.

Talking with Jona's seminary teacher and

finding out that we went to school together.

He was a couple of years younger than me

but he said something about remembering my eyes.

#2.

Hearing what a great kid Jona is.

How bright he is and how well he is doing.

His teachers know who he is and think

highly of him.

And the #1 reason

I love going to P/T conferences

Because of stories like this that his teachers

always seem to share with us...

About a month ago in health class there was a sub

so the teacher had a video for the kids to watch.

It was about an alcoholic father who beat his kids,

his wife and even hit on one of his daughters.

The mother finally had it and got a divorce.

It ended well with the mom pulling things together

and taking care of the family.

When the regular health teacher returned she

wanted to have a conversation about the video

so she stood up in front of the class and asked

"So what did you all think of that video?"

Jona's hand flies up, she calls on him and he says...

"That man was a bastard!"

The teacher said the class just went ballistic.

She held it together and told Jona that yes the man

was a bastard but that they probably shouldn't

use that word in class.

She LOVED it! She loved that he was so

forthright about how he felt about that man

in the video and she said it opened the up

the discussion in class wonderfully.

Awesome.

Holiday Parenting Fail

Our kitchen the afternoon of Easter after we have come home from church....

I have made the kids dump all of the candy from the Easter egg hunt into one communal bowl so that I can horde it all for myself keep an eye on how much they are consuming. The kids are picking up the plastic eggs and opening them to see what is inside.

I inform said children that the only chocolate inside the plastic eggs are the malted goodness that are Robin's Eggs. They are all a little bummed out by this...especially Jona.

I then give further information that the candy in the plastic eggs is still good candy. Jolly Rancher jellybeans, SweetTart jellybeans, SourPatch jellybeans and sour gummy rabbits.

The next words are the actual words that come flying out of my mouth with all four children standing right there...

"I don't buy bad candy."

Jillian, my 8 year old, pipes up immediately...

"Wait...YOU bought the candy???"

Good one Shanna. So trying to think quickly, on my feet, with a mouth full of chocolate I answer...

"Why yes. I buy the candy and Easter Bunny hides it."

I'm not sure if Jillian bought into that or not but she said "Okay" and continued shoving the sugary goodness into her mouth.

I swear....I am not going to be allowed to say anything about Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy or Leprechauns around any of my grandchildren. I'll just have to learn to be the sweet, silent type...

Not sure how great I'll be able to pull that off either.