Tattoo I Pull My Sleeve Over

Like me, she’s obsessed with getting everything organized. Water spills, dirt and hair on the floor are not her eyes’ best delights. The forks should rest at one side and the spoons on the other. The bed should be made up once you wake up. The kitchen counters must be at their tidiest after every meal. Clothes should be aligned and folded in one straight line inside the closets. Hangers in the laundry area must be arranged in one direction and according to color, size and type. These are just of the few examples of the house rules we follow attentively if we don’t want to encounter much trouble ahead.

2. Strict

Although she’s a mom who portrays herself as our closest buddy, she’s one who carefully looks into our everyday lives and activities with austerity. For instance, she would linger at the dining table to supervise food’s disappearance and then remind us to take those which are not out of sight (not eaten yet). Although we don’t have implied curfew, she’s one who would message or call us when we’re not home yet as she expects. She’s one who’d correct us consequently when she sees things not in their right frame.

3. Comical

She takes every opportunity to laugh to her heart’s content. She laughs even at overworked and corny jokes. She also finds my random made-up statements amusing and laughs again when she learns that they are mere pretenses. On top of it all, she’s happy when we’re happy.

4. Tender

She always hugs and kisses us not only when we reach home, go out, wake up in the morning and sleep at night but also whenever she just feels like doing so. There are no goosebumps when we hug or rest on each other’s arms, because we are already used to these every day. Thank goodness. 😀

5. Patient

She has made it through those long and thorny valleys in between the mountain-top moments of motherhood because of her patience. She digs for perspective and does not give up. She might not had always liked what she had to do but she’s got the “mother’s high” feeling, always trying to do what’s right and best for us.

Wrap Up

She considers spending time with us a gift–a gift that had been wrapped from wet diapers, dirty school uniforms and messy tables to isolated and busy hours. Now it has been unwrapped to a sense of gratification.

Once upon a time her rule was absolute and her word was law. If she told us it was time for bed, off to bed we would go. Talking with our mouth full? That was not acceptable behavior and in time, we’d eliminate even the need to speak to her on the subject. One glance was all it took and we would stop talking, chew our food, not speak again until the mouthful was swallowed. One glance was all it took for us to understand, comply and obey. Whether fair or unfair, rational or irrational, her ruling went unquestioned, unchallenged and life was easy being queen in a court of two. They were good times and now they’re better; now we tell her if it’s time for bed, not to talk when her mouth is full, cover her mouth when yawning, etc.

The truth is that as she grew older, we did, too. We grew familiar with foibles and idiosyncrasies. And because we’re all grownups now, it’s about time to take care of her with equal or heightened patience, tenderness, appreciation, faithfulness and organization.

To Mommy Dearest, happy birthday! 😀