Two One Three - LJ Idol, Season 8, Topic 2
I've uttered many three word phrases in my lifetime. Ones from the heart, like "I love you". Ones that I didn't think I'd ever be able to say, like "I'm sorry, no." Words of anger, like "Get off that!" Words that filled me with pride, like "I did it!" But there are three small words that define me, because the are both incredibly simple and incredibly complex.
The phrase? "I'm a mom."
It seems like a simple phrase. I'm a mom. I have children that I love and take care of. It i Is one of the hats that I wear in my life. It is a very important part of who I am.
But there's also so much more depth to that phrase. "I'm a mom" means, as I told someone today, that I can do amazing things. I can multitask like few others, thinking about what I need to pick up from the store while chasing a laughing three year old through the aisles while a five year old tries to help by almost tearing his brother's shirt from his back. I can carry a pile of books, a diaper bag, three different toys and stuffed animals, my own purse and a child on my hip, yet not drop any of them. I can stay up until midnight making cookies or creating costumes because one of my sons needs it for the next day. I know how to make my boys smile when they're upset or just where to kiss the invisible boo-boo that has my child in tears. can throw away my adulthood for a few hours so I can play something with my sons, whether it be battling as Pokemon Masters, being a tickle monster or talking on a pretend phone.
These three words also bear an awesome responsibility, something that expands each day my child grows. First, it was a responsibility to keep them safe within me. To not abuse my body because it would be abusing them. Then it was the responsibility to keep them safe outside of me, and to make sure they were fed and kept dry. As they grew, it was my responsibility to teach them manners and how to behave in polite society. I have had to help them learn - their ABCs, their numbers, how to use the potty, how to read and write, how to do simple math. It has been up to me to help fuel their imaginations while making sure they knew the difference between reality and fantasy. And I have been the one that they've come to when their heart is broken for reasons they don't understand. Not that their dad isn't around and isn't being a wonderful parent as well, but I'm the one that is home with them day after day.
It's not always any easy job. I get frustrated at my boys on a regular basis, when they don't listen or they get stubborn and don't want to do what I've asked. I yell when they're screaming and yelling at each other over things that seem stupid to me but are earth-shattering for the two of them. I sometimes get sharp with them not because of what they've done but because of something else happening in my life. I'm a mom, and I'm human. I suspect you'll hear the same thing from anyone else in my situation.
But all the negative things that happen when I'm dealing with my kids are worth it when my oldest asks me to snuggle, or when my youngest throws his arms around me and says, "Mommy, you my bes' fwend."
I'm a mom. And I'm proud.
The phrase? "I'm a mom."
It seems like a simple phrase. I'm a mom. I have children that I love and take care of. It i Is one of the hats that I wear in my life. It is a very important part of who I am.
But there's also so much more depth to that phrase. "I'm a mom" means, as I told someone today, that I can do amazing things. I can multitask like few others, thinking about what I need to pick up from the store while chasing a laughing three year old through the aisles while a five year old tries to help by almost tearing his brother's shirt from his back. I can carry a pile of books, a diaper bag, three different toys and stuffed animals, my own purse and a child on my hip, yet not drop any of them. I can stay up until midnight making cookies or creating costumes because one of my sons needs it for the next day. I know how to make my boys smile when they're upset or just where to kiss the invisible boo-boo that has my child in tears. can throw away my adulthood for a few hours so I can play something with my sons, whether it be battling as Pokemon Masters, being a tickle monster or talking on a pretend phone.
These three words also bear an awesome responsibility, something that expands each day my child grows. First, it was a responsibility to keep them safe within me. To not abuse my body because it would be abusing them. Then it was the responsibility to keep them safe outside of me, and to make sure they were fed and kept dry. As they grew, it was my responsibility to teach them manners and how to behave in polite society. I have had to help them learn - their ABCs, their numbers, how to use the potty, how to read and write, how to do simple math. It has been up to me to help fuel their imaginations while making sure they knew the difference between reality and fantasy. And I have been the one that they've come to when their heart is broken for reasons they don't understand. Not that their dad isn't around and isn't being a wonderful parent as well, but I'm the one that is home with them day after day.
It's not always any easy job. I get frustrated at my boys on a regular basis, when they don't listen or they get stubborn and don't want to do what I've asked. I yell when they're screaming and yelling at each other over things that seem stupid to me but are earth-shattering for the two of them. I sometimes get sharp with them not because of what they've done but because of something else happening in my life. I'm a mom, and I'm human. I suspect you'll hear the same thing from anyone else in my situation.
But all the negative things that happen when I'm dealing with my kids are worth it when my oldest asks me to snuggle, or when my youngest throws his arms around me and says, "Mommy, you my bes' fwend."
I'm a mom. And I'm proud.