Behind the Title

The word "mother" isn't a very big word. Not too complicated to say and/or spell. Everyone pretty much thinks they know what it means but do we really. Last night as I was cleaning the bathroom while giving my kid a bath I got to thinking about the "title" of mother. What's behind the name? And, then my mind went off on a tangent all its own which, if you really know me, you realize isn't such an odd thing to happen. =)

So, here it is...MOTHER...the way I see it...

M ~ Multitask. If you can only focus on one thing at a time you are in for some serious trouble as a mom. There is never a time when I am simply doing ONE thing. If I am working at my job that provides a paycheck I am often also doing laundry, planning a schedule in my head, jotting down a grocery list as the needs come to mind, etc. Like mentioned above, last night Elliott's in the tub, playing with his toys and scrubbing himself. What am I doing while in there with him?? Well, besides singing the praises of Super-Elliott shooting the dinos with the water gun, I am also scrubbing the toilet and washing down counters. There is always more than one thing going on at a time.

O ~ Outlet. Some friends and I discussed this weekend the many different definitions there are for the word outlet and probably a couple of them would actually apply to defining a mother but in this case I am thinking of outlet as a power source. Sometimes I feel as though the whole house functions and moves and breathes as it drains out its power from me. You know those outlets you have in your house that have 3 way plugs attached to them and then an extension cord with 3 way plugs attached on to those, etc. until there is a massive tangle of cords with multiples of things pulling their ability to function from one simple outlet. That's the way I see a mother at times. One child can plug so many cords into their mother it isn't even funny...there is the laundry cord, food/drink cord, playmate cord, comforter cord, band-aid applier cord, and though they aren't necessarily fond of it, even the disciplinary cord, and...and...and...more and more cords. Some are temporary and brief power surges. Others are all day "drainers." All these activities are draining their power to function out of one outlet, mother.

T ~ Teacher. Whether you "homeschool" or not your child is being schooled at home by you. Their education concerning how they relate to others, disappointment, winning or losing, manners, and the list is endless all starts with you and is taught by the mother (and the father too, of course, but today we are focused on the mother). Make them good lessons. There is so much teaching that is done we as mothers probably don't even realize it. Well, not until we hear our child tell another one what we tell them all the time. You know those messages you could swear they are missing (like turning off lights) only to hear them tell another kid to do just that.

H ~ Hero. No seriously. Mothers are heroes. I don't mean the leap buildings and stop speeding trains kind of heroes. But seriously have you ever seen the look in your kid's eyes when you have found say the lost ever so important blankie or produced batteries for the favorite game to work again. Not mention even the simple task of changing the light bulb in their lamp. Yes, mothers are heroes. Unfortunately as the child grows out of the hero stage somehow mothers also start to lose their hero status. But in some ways we will always be heroes so don't let them down (too much).

E ~ Eraser. I thought of this one as I throw the sheets that didn't survive the night dry into the washer. We do our best to erase the mistakes that are made, make better the bad, correct the the mess, etc. Granted there are mistakes that they will have to learn on their own and ones that we won't be able to "erase." But I like the idea of how mothers are trying to help their kids correct their errors and "get it right."

R ~ Replenish{er}. Trying to make a verb a noun. =) We are the ones who replenish. We replenish the food cabinets and refrigerator and as I can't even keep up with how much this kid is eating lately this has to be done frequently right now. Food is important. Suppertime at the table is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of the day. But I was also thinking about how we replenish the emotional storage bins of our kids. Cuddle times, hugs, kisses, saying "I love you," and more hugs and kisses. Smiles and giggles. Replenish them and build security in you and your love at the same time. Sweet goodness.

So whether you have just cooked supper one more time, given a bath, kissed a boo-boo, helped with homework, played a game, or whatever with your child...you are Mother, you are strong, hear you roar.