The three youngers (not to be confused with the three olders who were each at their various jobs-so-they-can-afford-to-buy-me-stuff-some-day) paraded into my room this morning carrying their Mother’s Day tribute: a rose, a carnation, a bag of Reese’s peanut butter cups and a Mother’s Day poem written by Mitchel, the youngest of the youngers, about what a great mom I am and why. I informed them that I loved it ALL and immediately popped a peanut butter cup into my mouth and sent Mitchel to get some food coloring to put in the water to see if we could turn the greenish white carnation a different color for an experiment. When he returned with purple food coloring that was already all over his fingers before he’d even started to put drops in the water, I told him I especially liked the part in the poem that said R is for “Really good at handling all 6 kids”. I said I would keep it forever. Because while I’m disappointed in the fact that M is for “Magical No! Best Mom, Yess!!!!” (Clearly he doesn’t realize I have magical powers: how else would one handle all six kids?) he made up for it with the second line O is for “Other moms are good, but not as good as you”.
Hello! Winning! Sorry all you other moms. There can only be ONE “best mom”. GOOD is just going to have to do for the rest of you!
I thought about sharing the Reese’s but then quickly thought again and tucked the rest of the bag away in my underwear drawer where it would be safe from thievery. I’m just not a sharer especially when it comes to my favorite candy.
Mitchel wanted to know if I saved everything they gave me. “Even the flowers?”
Remembering what happened when I tried to save a dead grasshopper Duncan once gave me in the same container as his preschool art work, I said “No, I learned the hard way years ago to stop saving anything that used to be alive. I don’t want all those great letters and pictures you guys made to get mold on them; it’s important to keep them in tact for when your real mom comes back.”
All three of the boys snickered a little bit at that and then each gave me a hug and scampered off to do various youngers activities, tribute over and done with. Which is fine. Tribute makes me feel slightly uncomfortable and extremely guilty. Their real mother, the one I invented when I was young, energetic and optimistic, left years ago. I’m just the stand-in who’s doing an adequate (at best) job of mothering. Selfish peanut butter cup hoarding is just one very small example of many. I could fill a book my good people. So though I joke about being the best mom ever, I am fully aware that there is just no sense pretending that I’m even trying for a GOOD rating.
I is who I is.
Kids, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry but I don’t think your real mom is coming home anytime soon. I’ve TRIED to find her but her last known number has been disconnected and I don’t have the cash for a private detective. She clearly doesn’t want to be found anyway so why waste any more effort? It’s probably time to face the fact that you are stuck with me as the stand in. So let’s save the tribute for Father’s Day where it has been earned and is deserved.
You olders probably remember your real mom and all of her fantastic mommying: all those healthy breakfasts, clean clothes, notes in your lunch boxes, lipstick kisses on the day-care window, homemade clever Halloween costumes etc. I could go on and on but quite frankly doing so would probably make us all a little bit bummed out. Her sole purpose in life was to make your lives rich and fun and full of love so that you all would go out into the world as good, kind, nurtured people who would spread love and peace into the world. You know: that ‘make good ripples’ line? Please don’t tell the younger ones too much about their real mom.. They are just going to feel ripped off. Plus it creates so much pressure for me to try and fill her shoes. My feet are way too big for those cute little sandals she used to wear because they, along with the rest of my body have grown quite wide over the years. Practical footwear is where I am at now.
Along with practical mothering. Which involves as little effort as possible on my end.
So, That being said, here are some ideas for Mother’s Day cards that my kids SHOULD give me:
*****
Front of Card
Mom: Well mom, you tried.
Inside
You did TRY, right?
*****
Front of Card
Mom: At least you’re not as weird as grandma
Inside
Mostly.
*****
Front of Card
Mom: thanks for making me do all that stuff by myself, you know, like cleaning my room, doing my own laundry, getting out the band-aids all on my own for my bloody skinned knees so that I wouldn’t get blood all over the carpet and get killed by you.
Inside
Lazy meanie.
*****
Front of Card
Mom: A is for Affort
Inside
Too bad you didn’t help me study for my spelling when I was young. I could have ben someone.
*****
Front of Card
Mom: I’m sure you’ll finish STRONG!
Inside
Hopefully you won’t die before it’s too late.
*****
Front of Card
Mom: remember all those times you were there for me?
Inside
No wait, that was dad.
*****
Ha ha!!! I suppose that may be a little harsh. I’m not THAT bad of a mother. And quite frankly my kids are turning out really fantastic despite the fact that I have not lived up to my own ridiculous and over the top expectations of what a “good mom” is. So who’s to say that if their real mom had stayed longer that she would have any more right than me to take credit for how awesome they are.
Hehehehehe… love it!
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Ha! Thanks for reading me my fabulous new mother blogger friend!
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😀
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With six kids I suspect your best quality was a sense of humor. It’s what keeps us going, isn’t it?? Great post.
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Thank you for reading me! I would probably not survive without humor. I’d be Daniel in the lion’s den without God to get me out. Ha!
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Ms, thank you for my evening smile … I look forward to reading more of your work (or efforts, insights or musings)
g
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Why thank you!!!!! I have recently enjoyed some of your photographs. Just discovered you and look forward to exploring your site more!
Have a wonderful day!
-Heather
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I’m sure your kids appreciate your sense of humor. That’s much more important than being some “Disneyfied” impossible-to-ever-attain version of a mother. I still think you should have kept the dead grasshopper, though. I mean, you can encase stuff like that in clear plastic resin and preserve it for so long, your grandchildren’s grandchildren could keep it as an ornament. 🙂
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Ha! Funny you should say that. My number four child Daniel had a “pet” moth who sadly died just when he’d fallen deeply in love in love with it. Oh the tears. It still sits in a tiny little Tupperware container in a place of “honor” on my shelf, save from any of the art work. He didn’t want to burry it with the other dead creatures in the backyard who didn’t survive our kind of stifling love. I bet it stays well preserved. So it COULD maybe be a priceless family heirloom! Ha! Thank you for your comments and understanding how important humor is. Keeps what would otherwise be monotony quite adventuresome. Have a fantastic day!
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That’s sweet, although I’m not going to mention this story to my children in case it gives them any ideas. 🙂
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Cute post 🙂
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I really appreciate you reading me. Thank you so much!
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Love it! Thanks for writing & sharing. So impressed with your stories. I’ll always remember and be grateful for all the times you came and spoke to my classes at SFCC😊
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You are too funny. And it certainly sounds to me like you’re a REAL mom:-)
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Ha! Guilty as charge. Real mom, real crazy:) Thanks so much for reading. It means a lot! I LOVE your writing.
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Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I love this. Not your real mom. Oh, if only I would have thought of that!!!
I used to hide candy in my underwear drawer as well. And personally, not giving them all that candy which is bad for them is really sacrificial on our parts 😉
Loved the ideas for cards!! I make greeting cards. I should hire you as a writer.
Hope you enjoyed your Mother’s Day.
I heard from all 3 boys even if I didn’t get to see them.
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Ha! Yes the sacrifices we make! If only they KNEW! What a neat thing that you do: making greeting cards! I have always wanted to write ones that are a little more edgy and smart mouthy. It for sure would appeal to a select crowd! Happy Mothers Day to you! I’m glad your boys reached out. Mine all did (and the girl) as well. I’ve got one (#2 son) who will be moving far away at the end of the month. My first to actually leave town 😦
The little boys are already competing for his room. Vultures! Ha!!!
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Sounds like you’re their real mother rather than the invented one. Good thing about having high standards is you can fail to meet them and still be pretty good.
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I’m lucky to have had enough children to learn (the hard way) what is critical and what can be tossed in terms of standards. Plus, well, I got tired:) Thank goodness they all have fantastic senses of humor! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Serious fuel!
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Your best effort yet! At writing, I mean. To heck with the mothering thing! I love you! And, yes, “grandma” was weird!
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Ha! Well I guess it’s better than being dull. Love you too Betty!
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