mind body mama: A few more ways my life has been enriched by motherhood

An observation I might have lived without, if had not become a mother:

• “It’s cool how your stomach goes into all those little wrinkles when you bend over.”

Word usage I might not have considered:

• “I want to walk on the snow to get a hang of these new boots.”

• “We are all wearing different styles, but we are all cool. Mama, you are sensible cool. Mom, you are normal cool. And I am crazy cool!”

• “One of my suggestments for the bathroom is a tiny shelf right here for books and magazines. And a taller toilet. Because Mom likes a taller toilet.”

Questions I might never have asked anyone:

• “Why are your underpants on the dining room chair?”

• “Do you need a klenex? Are you sure you don’t need a klenex? Because you look like a person who needs a klenex.”

Conversations I might not have been party to:

Sweetie: [Preparing for a solo road trip] “I’m taking more money from you.”
[Minor inconsequential parental financial squabbling.]
Me: “…Oh, it’s ok, I don’t want you to be on the road without cash.”
Small: “Yeah, because what if you have a sudden need for Cheetoes?”

Small: “I’m sorry I spilled that.”
Mama: “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with spilling something. There is something wrong with standing still while it runs all over the place.”
Small: “Let’s be optimistic that we can fix this situation.”

And a question I might never have asked myself:

“I heard you and Mom fighting. Why did you say all that crap about her?”