Wednesday 24 July 2013

I'm not THAT mom


I'm not THAT mom
24 July 2013

I'm not THAT mom.

The one that bakes her own cupcakes from scratch for cake sales at school.

The one that reads bedtime stories every single night.

The one that helps to sew costumes for the end of year play.

The one who's house is always perfectly neat every single second of the day.

The one that hosts end of term class parties for thirty kids in her back yard.

The one that packs the very nicest lunch boxes on the playground.

The one that doesn't mind muddy footprints all over her floors, couches and bedding.

The one that always has tissues in her bag.  And plasters too for that matter.

The one that makes super nice posters for kids orals for school.

The one that wears high heels and lipstick and is perfectly groomed all of the time.

The one that has all the ingredients in the home at any given time to make a cheese cake, quiche or chocolate brownies too.

No, I'm definitely not THAT mom.  I'm THIS one:

The one that walks into birthday parties when she drops her kids off to make sure that everything's okay.  Her teenager wishes the earth would just open up and swallow her whole.

The one that touches base with teachers regularly and makes sure her kids are academically on track.

The one that is super affectionate and praises her kids a lot.

The one that packs healthy school lunches. 

The one that helps with make-up, hair and painting of props for concerts. 

The one that screams the loudest at sports matches.

The one that understands the value of letting them bump their own heads every so often.

The one that takes zillions of photo's just about every single day.

The one that is anal about manners.

The one that makes them greet people and make eye contact.

The one that teaches them to do things properly and not half hearted.

The one that teaches them about consequences to their actions and following through.

The one that plays sport with them in the back garden.

The one that indulges in movie days with them, where they all mooch on the couch eating popcorn and junk. 
 
The one that strives to be consistent. 

The goofy mom, that laughs a lot (mostly at herself) and likes to be silly. 

The mom that always sees the bright side and is positive and upbeat. 

The one that supports her kids in all that they do. 

The one that is willing to stand up for her kids.

The one that very often says, "Sorry for you!" when they whinge about something or other.

The one that doesn't give them everything they want.  But instead strives to give them everything they need.  And very often they have to wait.

The one that ensure that her kids know, that though they are the most important people in her world, they are not the only people in her world.  Her life is bigger than just them and she has other interests too.

The one that’s inquisitive and asks them about their day.

The one that forces them to do homework and go to school every single day – no sickies allowed.

The one that makes conversation with their friends.

The one that doesn’t make arrangements with fellow teenagers or kids’ friends, but rather with their mothers.

The one that likes set bedtimes in the week, but is super flexible on the weekends.

The one that is fond of saying, “I’m the mother.  It’s not a popularity contest.  You don’t have to like me, but you do have to listen to me and obey”. 
 
The one that teaches her kids about delayed gratification - as the best things in life are often worth waiting for.
 
The one that makes pancakes for supper as a treat every so often.

I’m the mom that’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. 

But I’m the mom that tries my best.  And that loves with all of my heart.

And just perhaps, that’s okay.

Because I’d rather be THIS mom, to THESE kids, than any other kind.

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2 comments:

  1. You are amazing Helene - those chillens of yours are lucky fishes!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. most mom's strive to be like you described..... me being one of them!

    ReplyDelete