Just A Mother

Once in awhile, I hear a mother respond to the question, "What do you do?" with, "Oh . . . I'm just a mother." It makes me sad to live in a culture that doesn't value the contributions of everyday moms. To me, they do the most important work on the planet.

You see . . . a mother just wakes up at 2:00 a.m. for middle-of-the-night feedings and plays "This little piggy went to market" with your toes. A mother just feeds you strained carrots and changes your messy diapers even when they're full of strained carrots.

A mother just wipes mustard from the corners of your mouth with her wet thumb. She just shows you a picture of a horse in the clouds. She just fixes your hurts by kissing them better. She just makes you eat as many peas as you are years old.

A mother just teaches you how to flush and how to floss. She just reads you a favorite story until you have it memorized. She just takes your temperature and cleans up the mess when you throw up on the carpet.

A mother just scolds you when you don't fasten your seat belt. She just frames your first grade drawing of a bear and hangs it in the living room. She just rewards your dental checkup with a candy bar. She just wipes Popsicle juice off the floor and buys the first glass of Kool-Aid from your lemonade stand after providing all the ingredients. A mother just comes to your kindergarten program to hear you sing off key and claps loudest after your part.

A mother just shows you how to comb your hair so the cowlick will stay down. She just keeps buying shoes and gets embarrassed when you wear socks with holes in them to the shoe store.

A mother just hollers for you to turn the music down so you won't damage your hearing. She just reminds you when you drive too fast. She just informs you when you have too much makeup on. She just brings you a towel when you're dripping wet in the shower.

A mother just says she can't wait until you're more independent and then cries all the way through graduation. She just sheds more tears when you get married and when you tell her you're going to have a baby.

A mother never receives a gold watch when she retires because she never retires. She just adds "grand" to her title. A mother just brags to all her friends about her grandchildren and then proceeds to spoil them rotten.

A mother just loves you from the first day to forever.