For all the Mom’s out there…the ones with 10 kids, or 1; the moms-to-be, and the new moms.
Here’s a reprinting of my addition to the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE MOM’S SOUL book from a few years back:
Once upon a time I was a nurse, a writer, and a wife. Then, one day, I had a child. I became a mother.
Added to the list of things I previously was and did, I became: a chauffeur, cook, dresser, wiper of dirty faces, a cleaner of soiled bottoms, a retriever of thrown socks, a finder of lost shoes, a helper of homework, an insomniac. I was referee in toy wars, a slayer of nighttime dragons, a soother of nervous school jitters. I was a room mother, a den mother, a leader of scouts, and one day, mother of the bride. I calmed tantrums and bolstered fragile egos.
Once upon a time my name was Peggy. Then I became a mother and had as many aliases as a con men. I became – at various times – mm, ma-ma, Ma, Mommie, Mom, Mother, MOTHER!!, and for a very brief period of mental vexation, Peg.
My house, once orderly, became a disordered jumble of toys, stuffed animals, dried peas, and empty strew formula bottles; a carpet of clutter and chaos; a dwelling in disarray.
I was a Mother. I was an icon. I’d done something no man had ever done, accomplished a feat so death defying and magical that many wouldn’t attempt it. I became a mother. And in so doing, I became all that I was, all that I ever wished to be.”
There’s more to the piece, so if you’d like to read it in its entirety – and all the other wonderful pieces in the book, here’s the link: CHICKEN SOUP FOR EVERY MOM’S SOUL
Happy Mother’s Day!
Peggy Jaeger, Author 