The evolution of “Mom”

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.  Proverbs 22:6

I have had the pleasure of spending lots of time with my girls over the last couple of weeks.  Ok- honestly, some of these times were not pleasurable at all, and were in fact quite the opposite! They seem to be growing and maturing at a faster rate than I can keep up with!   My oldest is quickly moving past the days of wanting to play dolls with her younger sister-which leads to a lot of conflict in the house!

Not only do I see the relationship between my girls changing, I am recognizing the way we parent them must change as well. Change is hard.  And painful.

I took my oldest daughter with me recently to run an errand.  When I saw her walking in front of me, I hardly recognized my baby.  She is becoming a beautiful young lady before my eyes.  I find myself staring at her and searching for that “baby face” I once kissed and snuggled with.  As we were shopping, I told her that “mommy” needed to pick up this and that. And then it happened…

She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said –

“Mom, you don’t have to refer to yourself in the third person.  I know who you are!”

I felt a pang inside of me.

I am no longer mommy.  I am mom.

So why have I referred to myself in the third person for the past (almost) 11 years? I have done it since they were babies out of habit, and not once until this particular outing has either of them mentioned it. It does seem like a silly thing to still do after all these years.  So, as I see my children maturing, I am learning to make some changes myself.

I pray that in their quest for independence, they will see how much we need to depend on our Savior.  And that no matter what age they are- they will still need “Mommy” too.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-7