Celebrating the X chromosome

Happy Mothers Day to all of us who have contemplated, attempted or completed the marathon referred to as motherhood. While there are days when motherhood feels more like chronic fatigue syndrome there are moments that make it all worthwhile. And lets face it, without these moments and if kids weren't so darn cute, our species would not likely have survived.

One of my moments came last week when Lil announced that they were discussing what made each of them special during religion class. I expected her to claim her expertise in gymnastics or piano was her ticket to special but she said "I am special because I have a Momma that loves me". This from our Daddy's girl, the same kid I have to nag to eat at every meal, and continuously remind her to spit her toothpaste in the sink, and monitor her showers so that our main floor ceiling doesn't fall in. The same kid who at 6 has learned the "oh mother" and "whatever" facial expressions that makes me wonder what she has left to surprise me with during her teen years.

Grace recently went through a phase where she would scream and kick like she was being kidnapped every day when I picked her up from daycare. My momma's girl was becoming the teachers girl until one day, her favorite classmate/boyfriend ran over to me, grabbed me by the knees and said MOMMA! This resulted in a short scuffle between the short people, and ownership of this particular "Momma" was ultimately returned to Grace. And now she does a little dance of joy and gives her Momma a knee hug at the end of each daycare day.

Motherhood has helped me appreciate the women who raised me. My Mom was a demure, quiet church organist who, I am sure was challenged by having a daughter who was, as she put it, as subtle as a trainwreck. She went on to have three daughters who she was terribly proud of, all who became nurses, and all who drove my father straight to the looney bin. She was our safe soft place to fall and when she passed from Alzheimers 10 years ago, it was like the heart of our family was gone. I believe that she enjoys spending time with my girls as when Lil was younger she claimed that Meme would visit with her in the playroom.

But the woman who had the most influence on me was my maternal grandmother. She was like a cross between Martha Stewart and Germaine Greer...a strong French woman who grew her own herbs, baked bread, canned peaches, hung her laundry on the line and kicked the priest off her front porch when he accused her of using contraception. She wasn't overly impressed by the Y chromosome and encouraged me to stand tall, speak my mind and if there was a guy out there who wasn't terrified by that, he may be worth my attention. I think she would have approved of Tony, even though he is a Brit.

And so this Mothers Day ends blissfully with the pups and girls tucked away for the night and me looking forward to ripping off my support hose, putting my feet up and enjoying an episode of Desperate Housewives in preparation for a new glorious day of potty training and scrubbing toothpaste off the bathroom walls.