To all who have been like mothers to us, or who are now in the position of mothering others, Happy Mother's Day!
This morning I received a cleared-off kitchen table with a pretty table cloth, an african violet, and a back scratcher. Currently Z is baking cookies.
I feel a little funny about my delight upon receiving the back scratcher. It's something my own mother would want, and like my mother, I was tickled about the price tag that got left on which revealed how inexpensive the back scratcher was. My mother is a part of me, in so many ways.
I was not sure I deserved mother's day today, having cursed Z last night with a twist on the traditional mother's curse.
Usually one says,
"I hope you get a child just like you." Instead I said, "I hope you get one just like me."
(Incidentally, I love "The Cursing Mommy" humor pieces in The New Yorker. But that's a different thing altogether.)
If Z does get one like me, she will know what to do. A woman at church, who works with Z in the Sunday School, told us that Z had a natural intuition for working with children; that she is kind and friendly, able to redirect and manage disputes in positive ways, and works well with challenging kids.
That made me feel very lucky. Certainly I never had or modeled that skill; it is hers, and I'm so proud to be her mom. Any kid would be lucky to have her as a mom. So our next generation is taken care of, whatever it may be.
