For My Momma

I realized about 4 months ago that my life as a parent was just beginning. Layla was about 18 months old and really starting to assert her ideas about how things should go. It dawned on me then, Oh, THIS is parenting. That's the hard stuff everyone is always talking about: You know how parents have the hardest job and all that.

Up to that point, parenting was mostly a breeze. Sure, you're tired and sometimes your baby doesn't sleep when you want them to and sometimes they cry and you can't understand why, but really, it was manageable. I now refer to this as the 'care-taking' part of parenting.

This second phase of parenting is really complicated:
1. You have to reason with a person that can't talk very well yet
2. Said person gets really mad about incredibly small things.
3. Said person doesn't really understand that she will feel so much happier if she sleeps and eats when I am telling her to do so.
4. By the way, it's your responsibility to teach this person EVERYTHING they need to know, how to behave and not turn out to be a criminal or a stripper.

Ha ha ha! I called my parents asking them about an incident one night. I said, "So Layla doesn't want to eat anything except cheese. I don't want to give her only cheese, but I need her to eat or she wakes up in the middle of the night crying for food. What should I do?"

.......nothing......

"Dad, Mom?" Dad laughs, Mom starts laughing, "that's parenting, tee hee hee, good luck."

That was it.

I think I finally am starting to understand what it's all about and the fact that I am pretty clueless. My parents did a pretty fine job raising Allie and I, it certainly wasn't easy.

This Mother's Day I am reflecting on my own mom and what a great job she did teaching us, showing us the way. She set the example for us of a strong woman who could balance many different responsibilities and relationships. She rarely lost her cool and always had time for a hug or a talk. I am so glad I will get to see her and hug her in just 2 weeks!

Happy Mother's Day Mom, I love you!

She's a pretty amazing Grandma too!