I was a Mother.

by Rebecca on 29 Mar 2006

zach and rebecca at cakeWe have no word for women who used to be Mothers… women whose children have died or been taken away, been given up for adoption or lost in divorce.

I was a Mother, though I never gave birth. How many video games and after-school snacks and late-night, tucking-in conversations qualifies one for motherhood? The little man didn’t care. He called me Mom and I was a Mother.

I was a Mother. I touched the sweet, soft skin of his cheek and watched him sleep at night. I picked up his wet towels and laughed with him at the dog’s antics. I helped him fold his clothes and taught him to tie his shoes. We went to the park together.

He taught me that I am softer underneath than anyone imagines, that I can be full of nonsense when no one else is watching, and that frequent hugs are very, very important. We decided, he and I, that a little sugary cereal never killed anyone.

I was a Mother who loved a little too closely, stifled him, made him angry now and then. But he knew I loved him.

I was a Mother with too many rules. “Don’t do this,” and “Let’s stay over this way.” “It’s better like that,” and “How about you try that this way…?”

I was a Mother.

What does that make me now?

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print this article!
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google Bookmarks
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • StumbleUpon

Leave a Comment

You can use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Previous post: More on the South with Students

Next post: On returning home