Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to have my mom come stay with me for a few days. As usual I couldn't sleep the night before. I was just too excited to see the woman I also consider my best friend. We spent her time here enjoying each other and playing with my daughter. Yesterday as we were going to the airport, I looked in my rearview, caught a glimpse of her, and realized "I'm My Mother."
I have known for sometime that my mom and I are similar not only in looks. My husband in giving his toast at our rehearsal dinner 5 years ago, noted that he felt like he was marrying my mother AND what a great thing that was. My brother has been known to call us "two peas in a space pod." Comparing me to my mom is the greatest compliment I could receive. My mom has taught me some powerful lessons in my almost 30 years (ALMOST). This weekend exemplified that what this woman can teach me is endless.
So here are my Top 5 from this weekend
#1: Its ok to cry. Whenever we are together we tend to cry knowing how short each trip will be. And we aren't limited to crying in the house privately. We've cried in the car, in the mall, at lunch, over ice cream, over tea... you name it. Yesterday when I started crying at lunch because we only had 30 minutes left before dropping her at the airport, I quickly put my sunglasses down to hide my tears. My mom wore her tears loud and proud. No shades needed. Being away from her daughter is worthy of a tear here or there... or everywhere as the case is sometimes.
#2 Every little girl should be treated like a Princess. My husband and father-in-law constantly poke fun at my princess behaviors. They blame my mom for my shopping issue, my inability to accept the answer "no," and quite honestly my love of luxury. I remember my husband rolling his eyes when Mom and I came home from maternity shopping. He didn't understand why I needed so much for just 9 months of wearing. My mom quickly responded that in order to really feel good, I needed nice things. End of discussion.
#3 A personalized thank you goes a long way. My mom hand-wrote over 200 personalized thank you's for her retirement. She received thank you's for her thank you notes. When we talked about this I realized my thank you note fetish started with her. If people are kind enough to give you a gift, you should be kind enough to take some time and genuinely thank them. Thinking back on my wedding, every single guest got a special note. Not that generic "Thank you for coming and sharing our day." People deserve more than that.
#4 The best way to start your day is with a cup of tea and most days should include cupcakes. I remember my mom and aunt getting together after church on Sundays for a cup of tea and long talks when I was little. I swell with pride that now when we are together we share tea and long talks. First stop on any adventure tends to be Starbucks or the cute shop around the corner from my house. We talk about everything and anything and as she puts it "solve the problems of the world." Cupcakes became our thing when I moved to Texas and introduced her to Dimples.
#5 Above all my mom has taught me and given me the confidence to be a mom. I've had people challenge some of the ways that I choose to parent. I've had people give unsolicited and aggravating advice. My mom encourages me to ignore them and to go with my instinct. About two weeks ago, I had someone question my parenting to the point where I felt like maybe I was doing something wrong. After my mom got done ranting because someone hurt my feelings, she told me that the reason my daughter is the way she is (quite frankly perfect) is because of the mother I've been. I can honestly say that if that's true, my daughter is perfect because of the way my mom was and continues to be.
Happy Birthday Mommy.
"I do love you Koala Lou."
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