Sunday, May 09, 2010

Top 10 Things I Love About Being a Mother

I'm borrowing this idea from someone else. Great exercise I think.

Top 10 Things I Love About Being a Mother
10. She's allowed to sleep in our bed on special occasions (i.e., Dad's not home). The clingy hugs when we sleep together. As if we're trying to meld our bodies into one again; I know her body as well as I know my own.
9. When I pick her up from school, her eyes light up and chatter bursts like a neverending stream from her mouth about school, friends, teachers, what she ate.
8. When I look at her, I don't see me. Yet, when I look in the mirror, I see her.
7. Just when I think I recognize her and know her, she changes into a different person. Not like me, not like my husband. She's like a flower that changes colors as it blooms.
6. Watching my husband become an incoherent fool when they play together and speak their own language and games.
5. Surprise when she does something on her own and asking her how she learned to do it. "You showed me." (You paid attention??)
4. Watching her read "Otherwise Known As Sheila the Great" and "Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing" and discussing what we think Sheila, Mouse & Fudge look like.
3. Eating ice cream on the couch together - Turkey Hill Extreme Cookies and Cream with Hershey's chocolate syrup.
2. Holding hands to cross the street and not letting go on the other side.
1. Realizing how hard my mother worked raising 3 kids, running a household and working physically taxing part time jobs in a foreign country. Becoming a mother finally made me realize how much my own mother did for us.

6 comments:

J.Doe said...

A wonderful post. Here is another one.....when my child says Mommy, mommy, mommy... and is talking (babbling) to ME not someone else in the room.
My daughter has a very limited vocabulary, so it's especially nice to hear.

Anonymous said...

Nice list!

Maria

Indigo B. said...

Thanks! Maria - nice to hear from you.

It's easy to write 10 Frustrating things about motherhood, but it takes time to think of 10 really good things.

JD - that reminds me of when A was about 6 months old. When I entered the room, she'd be so excited - flapping arms, bouncing, laughing, just so happy!! I said THAT was a welcome! :-)

I can see already that in 2 yrs I'll be happy if she raises her head when I enter to say 'hey'.

Anonymous said...

"As if we're trying to meld our bodies into one again; I know her body as well as I know my own." Very creepy and weird. Poorly written - I would not use this kind of language when referencing my child.

Indigo B. said...

Anon - Pregnancy was a fascinating experience where you suddenly have this other person inhabiting and sharing your space. I've written some poems about sharing a body between mother/child so I suppose that's still in my head.It could be creepy. Also, my daughter is still small enough that I feel so familiar with her body.

ZenDenizen said...

Lovely thoughts! It's good to know kids are still reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.