Children can be exhausting, inconvenient, messy. Years ago as a mother of young children, I know I must have done more than my share of complaining. I’ll never forget my disgust (with myself) when I realized indulging my habitual selfishness and self-centeredness was no longer acceptable. It was time to grow up and take responsibility for the vulnerable and dependent babe in my arms! (Imagine what a brat I must’ve been! Waaah!)
The idea of allowing one’s life to be dictated by the needs of little munchkins doesn’t suit the narcissistic world in which we live. A second notion — that once little ones have shed the munchkin stage, they’ve also shed their need for Mom — is just that, a misguided notion.
So, it’s always heartening for me when I read blog posts written by women who adore their children and purposefully format their lives to ensure their children grow into mature, delightful adults. Allow me to introduce the writings of Desperately Doodling Debbie and Amanda Rose Adams.
Desperately Doodling Debbie is a long-time friend. Her children are flying the nest one by one and her inimitable writing style chronicles tales of their leaving mingled with other experiences and observations both profound and humorously mundane. Her turns of phrase are amusing and amazing. (Is my envy showing?)
Amanda Rose Adams hasn’t reached the empty nest stage … yet. Her October 23rd post speaks volumes about maternal contentment. Entitled When You Have Everything You Want, the piece reminded me of the wonder I experienced at that stage of my life. How many young mothers today take time to comprehend such delight and enjoyment until it’s slipped by too quickly?
As a younger writer, I wrote free verse. My more recent poetry has tended almost exclusively to rhyming forms, but here’s a poem describing a maternal milestone from my life … a poem that echoes the experiences of my friends.
Thanks for sharing my post. I love to hear that other mothers are savoring the moments instead of wishing them away.
No, thank you for your post. Like you, I love knowing there are moms who treasure their kids. I look forward to reading more of your work!
Merciful heavens, Renee! I just about had a heart attack (thankfully it was just a flutter from forgetting–alliteration!–to breathe when you mentioned my blog. That has never happened–the mentioning, not the flutter–before. So thank you, I think. The pressure, the pressure! And then your poem made me cry. Emotional turmoil is the name of the game for me right now, so I enjoyed getting a head start this morning as I work on cleaning up the dregs of Erin’s move to Chicago last weekend.
Sorry for the heart attack! Hope everything went well getting Erin settled. I lived in Oak Park for a year after graduating high school. Worked at LaSalle National Bank in the loop. It was a great year of growth for me!
I hope that you will put your poems in a bound volume!! I love reading your blogs, and your poetry is outstanding!!
Awww! You flatter me. I’m still working to have enough top-notch poems worthy of binding. But this 31-day blog challenge has taught me I can make the time to write (as well as get other things done), so it could happen … someday.