on being a mother

I was fortunate to have one of the sweetest southern ladies ever as a mom.  She was old school to the bone on the social graces of southern life and I learned from her.  She taught me to cook....well.  She encouraged me to be nice and polite.  It was from my Daddy that I learned to take no shit.  Everybody had a birthday party every year and each holiday was celebrated as if it were the last on earth.  She taught me the value of friendship and how it enriches your life.  At the end, she would scream at me as I walked out of the assisted living.  "Come back here young lady...I'm your MOTHER!"  When she realized she was dying, she found comfort in her children.  

As for me, I was never mother of the year.  I worked hard, played hard and raised Lauren to be a bit of a rebel like me.  I hated going to volleyball and basketball games which I "urged" her to do.  Watching her with Reaves I feel that I failed her as a baby because I didn't do near the cuddling that they do.  She appreciates the gift of her daughter who already has the little rebel oozing out.  

I was otha' motha' to a ton of kids who couldn't talk to their own parents.  That was my co-dependent side but it felt right.  You never know when a conversation without judgement can change a life.  I had a bunch of teenage girls one day with crayons and paper at my kitchen table doing art therapy which is what I started with.  

Teach your children well ~