5 Things: Thanks, Mom

20150212090406In honor of Mother’s Day (hi, mom!), I thought I’d throw down five things my mom was totally right about.

I will have a child just like me.

I have three girls. In some tortuous way, they are each like me. Sometimes it’s an eye roll, sometimes a quippy retort I simply can’t rebut, and sometimes it’s discussing the merits of each Legend of Zelda game. It’s both awful and wonderful to have people so like me. And I bet my mom feels the same way.

You’ll thank me when your older.

Boy, did I thank her later. Thanks for not letting me go to that party where my friend got drunk then pregnant. Thanks for telling me to respect myself and my body too much to share it with someone underserving. Thanks for telling me kids would be the most awesome reponsibility of my life. I like to think I did a better job because of all that she taught me. So, you know, thanks, mom.

Life as a grown-up doesn’t mean you’re free to do what you want.

Okay, I totally want to go back to being a kid again. All I had to worry about was math homework and what to play after dinner. Now? Bosses, the government, and the IRS are constantly pushing me around, making demands.

Get an education.

I may no longer be working as a social worker, but the years I spent in college, learning critical thinking skills and how to transition from a child to a woman will always shape who I am. Despite all the challenges my husband and I faced, we persevered and we’re able to live more comfortably because of it. Thanks… again.

You’re not going to care what those people think when you get older. (AKA: If your friends jumped off a bridge would you do it, too?)

Yeah, I may still be in some kind of touch with some of those people, thanks to Facebook, but I truly don’t care a bit what they think. I’ve got both my parents, fantastic aunts, a loving husband, and three awesome kids. My world is pretty full of people that do matter, although I lacked that perspective at 14.

For all of this, I have to say thanks to all the moms (because you know you said it, too) for doing the very best you can with all you have in the moment. It’s exactly enough.

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