I wrote this in 2012, but I read it every Mother’s Day, because it reminds me that motherhood is my biggest blessing. Here are just 30 things (among many) that becoming a Mom taught me…
1. Being a mom made me realize I really wasn’t the center of the universe, like I thought I was.
2. Nothing beats rocking a freshly bathed, sleepy, wrapped-up-like-a-burrito newborn.
3. Watching a baby taste a lemon wedge will always be funny.
4. First-borns are saddled with unrealistic expectations and warped by their parents’ smothering adoration, and when the full effect of that kicks in, therapy might be needed.
5. Sesame Street is a prime example of excellent family viewing.
6. Potty training is more effective (and fun) when Dad encourages Junior to aim at Fruit Loops floating in the toilet.
7. Taping words all over the furniture really does help a toddler get an early jump on reading.
8. Anger management is a crucial, mostly neglected skill that everyone needs to learn, starting at age two.
9. Parents have to perpetuate some half-truths: 1. “This is the most beautiful turtle I’ve ever seen….” (the truth of that is you love it because your nine-year-old made it.)
….and 2. “Of course you’ll use Algebra some day.”
10. Viewing the X-ray of your seven-year-old’s fractured tibia due to a misplaced kick in a soccer game, you realize your best protective abilities will never be enough.
11. When the fire department arrives, the cookies are done.
12. Keeping the house clean and orderly needs to be secondary to having your children “help.”
13. Matching socks are over-rated.
14. Show a budding daughter how to tweeze her eyebrows before she shaves them off in the shower.
15. Studying weekly vocabulary words over a bowl of popcorn makes for good memories (and excellent verbal skills.)
16. New shoes for the grandkids are one of the best gifts grandparents can give.
17. When Junior shaves his head for the school play…..relax. Like eyebrows, hair grows back.
18. Rocks can’t plug a hole in a swimming pool liner.
19. No matter how often you tell your kids you love them equally, they don’t believe you. Only God can remedy this.
20. Word problems are an unnecessary evil. Example: If the train station is three miles away, and Junior can ride his bike faster than any kid in the neighborhood, how many times will he stop to look at bugs on the way? Exactly.
21. French fries dipped in chocolate milkshakes aren’t bad.
22. Teenagers need hugs, whether they want them or not.
23. Science projects are more about parents than kids. A baking soda volcano versus “The Molecular Structure of Acid Rain.” Please.
24. You can tell your children repeatedly that they are precious, valuable, capable, and smart. The world will tell them they are insignificant, worthless, incapable, and dumb. They will believe the world. There is something wrong with this picture.
25. A hairdryer will not undo the damage after soda gets spilled on a laptop keyboard.
26. Fathers need to praise their children and reveal their tears. Forget the macho crap.
27. Seeing humility and compassion in your offspring is a greater reward than seeing achievement or success.
28. A new pocket knife has to cut something.
29. If you don’t talk to your kids about sex, someone else will. And they’ll get it wrong.
30. You don’t really know what you believe, or what you’ll fight for, until you have a child.
Parenting the best and worst life has to offer. 🙂 Blessings to you this weekend!
tm
I laughed so loud when I read the "cookies are done"… that my fiance was like "what?! what?! What's so funny???"
lol He thought it was a hoot too, when I read it to him 😉
Excellent, excellent, excellent. I love your memories and life lessons.
(I think I may steal this idea and write a similar post sometime soon. I will give you the credit as my inspiration.)
No matter how many times I read this I smile!
Absolutely glorious! Was grinning all the way through. :):)
This is a beautiful post. I'm glad you reposted it. So glad you visited my blog so I could find yours. I have 4 kids, 9 to 1 and although we haven't gotten to shaved heads and eyebrow shaving yet, it all applied. Parenthood, what a ride.
So good to meet you!
Ah Mare, So many of these I could relate to and would say give me again. I remember when my son got a tonsure for a school play. That was a hoot. And I am so glad my teens and now my 20 somethings still not only need but give hugs from and to this mom. Great post. Thanks for the memories. God bless, Maria from Delight Directed Living
Great post and as the mother of 3 adult daughters I can so relate…..
Matching socks are over-rated !!! it took me half a minute to get over my giggles before i could start typing here… funny !! Happy to connect.
Loved this Mare. I'm looking at something that Christopher made in pottery that he wanted me to drink out of. I said, "I have a GREAT idea! This would be nice to keep on my desk and put my ink pens in." He was so proud of it. I just wrote 2nd grade on the bottom of it, because I will keep it forever. Thanks!!
As a grandmother raising a grandchild, this is the 2nd time around for me. I loved all of them but the rocks can't plug a hole in a swimming pool liner strikes a cord. Thanks for the chuckle.
http://completelycalifornia.blogspot.com/
This is awesome! All spoken like a mom who has seen it all. My favorite had to be about science fairs. I despise those things!
I am so glad you found my blog. I am loving yours. We seem to have very similar ideas on lots of things!
A new pocket knife has to cute something…. ha ha ha! 🙂 I loved this! It made me kind of sad though. Our kids are young for such a short time… it's all wonderful, but sometimes I wish I could have those days back and do things a little differently….
Such a sweet post…made me LOL. And I think many daughters don't wait for their moms to teach them eyebrow grooming. I myself ended up with bald spots down the center of my brows for a while as a tween. 🙂
Love this! Have you ever really burnt the cookies to the point of the fire fighters having so show up? Yes, we do have quite a few half-truths as parents, but yet I think we are half blind as parents sometimes so they are more true than they otherwise might be 🙂
Love my Mom job way better than my daytime job! This was a great post! Love your blog theme…enjoying your blog and now following 🙂