Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Stages of Being a Mom

I remember when my oldest was born. I could barely contain myself the first time he uttered "Mama." Life was good, he was small. I controlled his world and he controlled my heart.

Soon after that my daughter was born. I had changed in my son's eyes and became "Mommy." To her I was "Mama." The sun rose and set in their eyes. I watched them revel at the world and found new meaning and joy in the simplest things that life had to offer. Their joy was my joy, their challenges caused me pain. It was the happiest time of my life and the most stressful. If I could have stopped the world to shelter them, I would have.

About the time my daughter transitioned to "Mommy," my youngest was born. There would still be "Mama" in my life but it came with the realization that this would be the last go round of "Mama" for me. For my youngest I never became "Mommy" somehow I evolved into "Mommom" a name that he still uses today.

As I was sitting in the family room this evening with my three adult children gathered around me I realized how fleeting the time that we have with our children really is. I also realized how much I miss "Mama" and "Mommy." I recalled the pain of being called "Mother" in anger or embarassment when they were teenagers or "the Mom" when they were in college. As my mind was rambling, my youngest turned to ask a question. His first word was "Mommom" and I heard nothing else. I was back in another place, another time, with toddlers and juice and toys all around.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there. Relish those moments no matter how bad or how good. Children are gifts that reassure us that the world with all its craziness is still a beautiful place and that life goes on.

Until next time,

Carmen

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this post. My oldest (4 years old) sometimes calls me "Mom". I'm not ready to be called "Mom". I still want to be "Mommy". I still want to be the "be all, end all" in their eyes. I know it is my (our) job to rear them and send them forth as responsible and productive adults, but I relish this phase and am not quite ready to let it go.

 
designed by sharnee