Tuesday, July 27, 2010

I'm THAT Mom

I'm that Mom who says YES to getting ice cream from the ice cream truck at the park, not once, but twice in one day.

I'm that Mom who goes out of her way to accomodate her kids need to see their friends, encouraging two night sleepovers, bringing random extra kids home from parkday, and setting up whatever playdates are desired. And who makes homemade pizza, lemonade, and ice cream when those friends come over.

I'm that Mom who sees beauty and passion and value in whatever my kids do, whether it is dancing down the street, drawing anime on the computer, loving on a chicken, or seeing how late they can stay up at night.

I'm that Mom who thinks having fun is the point to life, so if my kids want to stay at the park with friends until 10 pm at night, we do.

I'm that Mom who still picks up her 9 year old like a baby and rocks her when she is sad or hurt, and who is still allowed to do that for her 11 year old.

I'm that Mom who kisses her kids goodnight, wishes them sweet dreams, and then crawls into her bed to sleep, knowing they are capable of shutting down the house and going to sleep when they are ready. And who tip toes around the house in the morning, allowing them to get a full night's sleep, even if that "night" ends at 1pm.

I'm that Mom who will negotiate a side trip to accomodate my kids needs when we need to go out and run some errands, like a stop at a favorite store, an ice cream cone, or a drop off with a friend so they don't have to go along.

I'm that Mom who knows that kids are people, too, and who treats them that way. The one who thinks their needs and wants, and whims, are as important as mine, sometimes moreso, and does what she can to help them get what they need, want and desire out of life.

I'm that Mom who knows that adult life is full of work and responsibilities, but childhood is for playing, who believes that the time for adult stuff is adulthood, and who does not force responsibility on her kids. I am also the Mom with kids who are responsible beyond their years....

I'm that Mom who spends three days of her life sitting on the couch with her kids watching the entire three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender. And loving every second of it!

I'm that Mom who knows that childhood is short and too precious to hurry, life is too short to waste, that making memories is what it is really all about. And that one day too soon these amazing little people I have been entrusted with will grow up and fly the nest so I should treasure every moment I have with them.

This was inspired by Flo and Ronnie and you are invited to join in!

10 comments:

Flo said...

I love this mom. You're wonderful!

Cap'n Franko said...

Having fun is the point of life, isn't it? (grin)

Ronnie said...

I can't imagine a better point.

Lovely post, Miranda.

Laura/CenterDownHome said...

I started to cut and paste a quote from this in my comment, but I liked all of it so much, i couldn't decide what stood out for me. Love the whole post! Okay, if I had to pick: "I'm that Mom who sees beauty and passion and value in whatever my kids do, whether it is dancing down the street, drawing anime on the computer, loving on a chicken, or seeing how late they can stay up at night." <3

p.s. bohemian said...

totally agree - fun is the point of life and THIS mom sounds like it's all going on!

blessings,
deb

Annette said...

Love it!

One of The Wildwomen said...

What a beautiful post...in 18 days my "baby" enters college, life does move on sooo fast, enjoy every second..I am one of those moms too....

Heather McCarty said...

Awesome. Very inspiring. Makes me want to start blogging myself!

Sabita said...

i love such mom and will try to become such mom.
mssabita@gmail.com

Sarah said...

Ok, so I have a question.

I'm new to your blog...I just came across it today and have only read your first few posts.

I have little kids and agree that childhood is for being children. I just said something to my husband last night about how sad it is to see 12-14 year old girls all made up and trying to look at act 17-19.

We are leaning toward homeschooling officially (my oldest is just 3 1/2 and without anything formal, even going to the nursery at chuch, she can write her name and a handful of other words, knows all of her letters and sounds, can count a reasonable amount, plays well with her friends, can share as well as can be expected for 3 1/2, etc). I taught for 8 1/2 years in public and private schools. Honestly, my decision to homeschool has had more to do with the scary moral (well, immoral) things going on in schools and what kids are exposed to than the content of that commencement speech (though, really, I was that girl....almost).

From what I read, it sounds like I agree with you on a lot of things. I think that attachment parenting leads to strong independance. I believe that being offered choices leads to creative problem solving.

But here's my question: Children eventually have to grow up and get a job. They'll have to follow rules they think are dumb, unproductive, unfair. They'll have to be somewhere at an externally decided time. If they've never had to do any of those things, how are they going to be in the work force?

Believe me, I'm not being agrumentative....it's really a question I struggle with as a mom. It was something I struggled with as a teacher. I think there are times you have to "play the game" a little because you DO at some point have to function in the world.

I love the reckless abandon my girls have...but I also love that they're learning there's a time and place for everything. I struggle with finding the balance.

Your thoughts?