Sunday, May 10, 2009

Remembering Moms





"To have a child is to have your heart go walking around outside your body--forever." You don't understand how true that quote is until you become a parent. I always say that when I look back on my life, these two are by far the best thing I have ever done or will ever do with my life. But, then again, I can take very little credit for what they have become. I've decided that parenting is about 90% dumb luck. The little I know, I learned from my mom:


  • A lot of being a mom is about cheerleading. Every kid needs an enthusiastic supporter who believes they can do anything. Kids need someone to cheer them on, someone to believe in them, and someone who thinks the sun rises and sets with them. That is why we have Moms.


  • Sick kids need their mom, a darkened room, and someone who takes their temperature with a kiss on the forehead.


  • Kids will talk the most when they can't see Mom's face to know how shocked she might be at the secrets spilled. Hence: at bedtime after she's turned out the lights, in a car when Mom is driving, or my favorite--when walking laps together around the HS track after dark. (The things I learned that I usually didn't want to know!)


  • Traditions are important to kids and doing it once can mean that you will be doing it forever: decorating sugar cookies at Christmas and Easter, birthday presents at breakfast, stockings on Christmas morning, rum slush & poinsettias...and the list goes on and on.


  • "Pretty is as pretty does" and "Kill them with kindness" were two of my mom's favorite sayings. And she was right about both, though the second one takes a magnanimous person sometimes. (They don't come much kinder or generous than my mom.)

My mom died almost 18 years ago, and I miss her every day. When she died, she was only six years older than I am right now. She missed out on way too much, but her influence lives on forever. And the torch will pass to the next generation.

5 comments:

A said...

Happy Mother's Day!! Your point about kids talking to moms in the car flashed memories of years I spent talking to my in the car on the way to the places we'd go daily. From the time I was a young child being picked up after school & daycare to high school and even last year, when I was living closer to home for the year... It still continues now, when we are together in a car... Hope you have a wonderful day! Sounds like you have had and continue to have a great weekend!

Heidi said...

Yes, it's all true. A piece of my heart is about to be walking around in San Francisco, another piece is headed to New York for a summer job. It's kinda tough.

Heidi

Gayle said...

Your mom was a wise woman. Beautiful!

Sarah@Life in the Parsonage said...

What a great post...lots of wisdom here :)

ELK said...

how did i miss this post of lovliness~oh well mothers day is everyday right!!