The Kids Who Made Me a Mom

Today Teo had to stay home. He caught the stomach bug that’s been going around and threw up in the car on the drive to school.  When they returned home and I was getting him cleaned up, he sadly asked me, “Does this mean we can’t have Mother’s Day?”  He meant the Mother’s Day Tea that we’d been eagerly anticipating that day.  It was the sweetest, saddest moment.  “Yes, we won’t go to the Tea, but we’ll have our own special day together, okay?” I replied.

While we were sad to miss this annual event, mostly I was looking forward to spending special time with my son.  We still got to do that; only, we were cuddled up on the couch, watching the Veggietale’s Jonah movie instead.

Seems to me that caring for a sick child is the epitome of maternal duties.  When my sweet little boy is feeling awful, days like today, the only thing that makes him feel better is cuddling up on my lap.  There’s nothing more important for me to be doing at those times than holding and nurturing my boy.

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Lately I’ve been telling both Sienna and Mateo how much I love being their mom.  The other night, as we cuddled in his bed, I told Teo, “I love being your mom.”  He replied in a very serious tone, “I love being your son.”

It just doesn’t get any better than that.

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My big girl is growing up so fast!  One of Sienna’s things lately is asking to have a talk with me.  She sometimes calls it a “girl talk” and often they occur in the bathroom.  The other day, she asked, “Mom, I’m wondering… what if I don’t fit in at college?  What if nobody wants to play with me?”  (To give some context, we’ve talked about the fact that people go away to college and Sienna feels pretty strongly – at 7 years old – that she doesn’t ever want to leave her mommy.  So, that’s what she’s getting at with these questions.)

I had to suppress giggles as I explained that you don’t actually “play with your friends” in college, but that of course she’d have friends because she’s very likeable, kind, and a good friend.

Boy, that analytical apple didn’t fall far from this tree!

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As we look forward to Mother’s Day this weekend, I am cherishing the little people who made me a mom.  They make me smile and keep things interesting everyday.