I have spent 20 1/2 of my 38 1/2 years of my life being a Mom. That’s virtually half of it. Being that part of it was spent being a single teenage Mom, many times I found myself wondering if I have always made the best choices for my oldest daughter. I wondered if she loved me as much as I loved her (How could that ever be possible?) I wondered if I would be able to give her the life she deserved and then some.
Yesterday my husband and I trekked up to college to pack her up and bring her home for the summer. For the first time, we packed up the rental van AND Ashley’s own car. It dawned on me that my baby girl is all grown up. In just three months, she will be turning 21. She is BEAUTIFUL. She is SMART. She is everything and anything I ever could have imagined – AND MORE. When I look at her, I still cannot believe that she is mine. She has come such a long way from her days of teenage rebellion and pushing her limits. She is now graceful and responsible. Pretty soon she will be graduating from college. She has worked so hard to keep up her grade point average, while even securing 1st runner up in a prestigious Walmart Collegiate Business Challenge. She works her waitressing job between classes and still finds time to socialize and enjoy life. She’s driven and knows what she wants. I have no doubt in my mind that this is all just the beginning of great things to come for her.
And then I come home. And cuddled on the couch are my two “Babies”. Aidan is now 9 and Hailey is 5. It hits me that my babies are no longer really babies. Why am I feeling so emotional these days? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was awaking with them in the middle of the night, rocking them to sleep, being their everything? And now here they are – growing into little people. They never cease to amaze me with the things they are learning everyday, their strengths, their personalities – it’s all just so overwhelming.
What a truly amazing gift it is to be a Mom. It’s a gift that only a Mother could know. It’s love above all things. I am so blessed to have a heart that can truly hold this much love in it. Nothing in the world compares to the love a Mom feels for her children.
If I have learned anything this weekend, it’s that I couldn’t be prouder to be their Mom. I must be doing something right because everytime they call me Mom it reinforces just how much they love me – and need me. When Ashley still runs to the car to meet me when we finally see her after weeks away at college, I still well up with tears everytime. That love just takes my breath away.
So on Mother’s Day, I want to take this time to say thank you to my children for the greatest, most heartfelt and unconditional present anyone could ever receive – the gift of being their Mom. There truly is no greater gift.
May each and every one of you who are as blessed as me to be a Mom enjoy this special day with your loved ones. Happy Mother’s Day. Be sure to relax with your families and enjoy the gift of each other.
Extra special wishes go out to my own Mom and Mother-In-Law who have not only taught me everything I know, but continue to inspire me and are always there for me and our family though all of life’s ups, downs and beyond. I love you so much!
That is so sweet. I know how you feel. I love my kids as they get older and independent, but I’ll miss the toddler days too. Happy Mother’s Day!