Mommyz In The Hood (aka Motherhood)

"Worrying about your kids is sanity, and being that sane... can drive you nuts."

Yesterday afternoon, I went upstairs to the quiet of our bedroom to just chill out for a little bit. I flipped on the tv, and came across one of my FAV-O-RITE mother/daughter movies ever. EVER.

Spanglish. I just love the writing.

"So tell me again why I can't call him on his cell again?"
"Besides that he turned it off?"
"Yeah."
"Forty messages starts to look needy."

And probably my favorite line "Lately, your low self-esteem is just good common sense."

While M'Lynn and Aurora might have shown us the harsh realities of mothering a sick adult daughter, Flor showed the harsh realities of mothering a perfectly healthy 12 year old.

Towards the end of the film, Flor allows her daughter to go off to a wealthy private school, despite her increasing uneasiness about the situation. In the midst of sorting through her feelings, she begins to walk on to work. Obviously upset, she hears the voice of Deborah, her boss and thief of her daughters affection, far behind, making her usual run up the hill. Deborah's shouts of "LEFT!" indicate that everyone needs to get out of her way. Flor's face hardens, she secures the strap of her purse across her chest, says defiantly in her broken english "NO LEFT!", and begins to run. She's running for her daughter. For her affections, her heart, her character.

Mother's Day is coming.

Have I run hard enough for my girls over the last year? Have I fought for their affections, their heart, their character? I know between cleaning up toddler messes, clashing with the will of a pre-schooler, and attempting some level of patience with the natural emotions of a seven year old, I've become tired. Very. very. tired. And the desire to just step out of the way when I hear "LEFT!" is compelling at times. But I can't, and I pray I don't.

The best mother's day gift is something that I won't be able to receive for a very long time. It's my hope and prayer though. (Ben, DO NOT use this as an excuse to skip the gift giving. m'kay?)

Parenting is much more difficult than I imagined. There's a reason why there's no such thing as Hostage Negotiator's Day, Paris Hilton's Assistant Day, Anchovy Quality Control Clerk's Day. Despite the fact that, in my opinion, these may actually be among the hardest jobs in the world, they don't even come close to the formidable task of parenting.

So Happy Mother's Day, mommas! You've definitely earned it!!!