Being Mom

Being Mom is one of my favorite jobs. It’s not my only job. Somedays, it’s not even my most time-consuming job (my son is pretty low-maintenance; my husband is not), but it’s definitely one of my favorites. Especially on days like today, when my son is waxing poetic about the beauty and desirability of chameleons, telling me horrible knock-knock jokes, and making cooing sounds at his betta fish, Beakman.

I wasn’t always Mom. I used to be Mommy, and before that I think I was simply the source of all sustenance. Being the source of all sustenance was exhausting and wonderful. Being Mommy was exhausting and mind-boggling. Being Mom, however, has been mostly fun so far. Please keep in mind, my son is almost six, not sixteen.

If there is one thing not emphasized enough in parenting books, it’s how much fun parenting can be. My house is full of laughter. We tease and joke. We laugh at each other and at ourselves. My son is at an age now where he has a great sense of humor, and, just like his father, he loves to make me laugh.

We still have our battles, and manners are a daily challenge, but I can honestly say my son is good people. He has his own unique form of sarcasm, and is a practical joker in a way that is uniquely him. He’s also a loyal friend who will stand up for a younger friend at the playground, or make sure the shy girl in the play group has a turn on the swings.

I’m sure some might think that we’re just lucky, but that’s not really the case. We made plans and sacrifices to get where we are now. I don’t work outside the home because I want to be the one to raise my son and educate him, and I also don’t want my husband and I coming home from two jobs, trying to get all the housework done, and trying to spend time with our son all before his bedtime. Something’s got to give. In this case, it was the new car and the nice vacation. And that is the choice we made.

Before I was a mommy, I had nicer clothes. And my hair was cut and dyed professionally. We went to Paris for Christmas one year, and we bought fun toys. My husband and I had sex in the kitchen, and went out late with friends…not necessarily on the same night, mind you, but we could indulge each other a lot. We lived pretty nicely.

But I don’t think we laughed as much.