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Ode to Motherhood

by Amanda Forester

In honor of Mother’s Day tomorrow I wrote about all the amazing superpowers of mothers, and my mom in particular. So here it is, my “Ode to Motherhood”… which actually looks a lot like a top ten list. Honestly, the fine art of ode-writing has slipped considerably in the past few decades, but that’s another post. Allow me to present the Top Ten Things I Appreciate about Mothers!

10. Mothers have an uncanny sense of knowing where stuff is. Shoes, homework, toys – she’s got it all dialed in. I can even call my mom on the phone and ask her to find my car keys, and dang but she can usually guess where they are. How does she do that?

9. Mothers defend their offspring… even when they’ve messed up. Now don’t get me wrong, mothers are also usually the FIRST ones to tell you when you’ve done something stupid, but they’ll still try to protect you from the consequences. You’ve got to love that.

8. Mothers can remember EVERYTHING. Can’t recall that girl you were friends with in second grade? Mom can remember her name, phone number, along with their siblings’ names and what they are doing now. Mothers know the phone number to Aunt Mildred and the birthday of Cousin Jane without even looking it up. It’s like some kind of mommy PDA.

7. Mothers take care of their families and their community – one casserole at a time. My mom often brought food for someone in the circle of her acquaintance who was sick or injured. No tragedy was too great that it could not be slowly healed by the casserole brigade.

6. Mothers plan things. No offense to all the wonderful daddies out there, but when it comes to planning pretty much everything including weekly meals, family vacations, birthday parties, clothes shopping, school fundraisers, holiday celebrations, etc., these tasks generally fall on the capable shoulders of Mom. Where would this world be without mothers?

5. Mothers have a wealth of random information. Mom knows how long things can last in the fridge before they spoil. She can tell you how many minutes to boil corn and how to bone a chicken. She knows how to get wine stains out of carpets and grass stains out of clothes. Mothers are the original google.

4. Mothers can make your favorite meal. My mom cooks a lot of things well. I never really appreciated this until I started cooking for myself and realized I do not share her gift. She bakes the best chocolate chip cookies. No matter how many times I try to do it exactly the same way, hers always turn out better. Mommy magic.

3. Mothers make loving, indulgent grandmothers. My mom thinks my kids are perfect. She will even go so far as to frown at me when I try to make them clean their rooms or eat their vegetables (even though I KNOW she raised me the same way). Forget the obvious contradiction; she doesn’t want me making her little “angels” unhappy. My kids adore her and I’ve never loved my mother more as when I see her as a grandma.

2. Mothers will always fret over you. My mom will never stop being concerned that I eat enough (or not too much), get enough sleep, and dress warmly. There is something very comforting in that.

1. Mothers love you. Always. No matter what.

I love you Mom! What are your favorite things about your mom?

Comments

  1. This is such a fabulous post, Amanda! I think you listed all of the amazing things about mothers! I know I have my mom to thank for my love of reading--without her love and sharing it with me when I was young, I probably wouldn't be doing what I am doing for all of you everyday!

    Also, if it weren't for her insane library of romance novels, I wouldn't have spent countless hours peeking through them to find the dirty bits ;)

    Happy Mother's Day!

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  2. Hi Danielle! My mother also read lots to me too - should have added that to the list. An early love of reading is so important! And added motivation if there are naughty bits!!

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  3. LOVE your list, Amanda!

    Moms are the original Google -- SO TRUE! LOVE THAT!

    HAPPY MOM'S DAY!

    AC

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  4. So true, Amanda - especially #2. My mother still frets over me, and she still knows, through some sixth sense, when something's wrong, even from a thousand miles away. It really is amazing.
    And I'll second Danielle's comment. I learned about romance novels from my mom, who introduced me to Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and all those great gothic writers when I was young.

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  5. I like #6. Oh, boy, the planning for even the smallest errand. no wonder diaper bags are so big!

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  6. Aunty Cindy - Moms do know everything! Ok, not me, but definatly my mom!

    Joanne - Moms do have that sixth sense. It is amazing. Of course it also means you can't get away with nothing!

    Shana - oh yes, the 50 pound diaper bag. Good times, good times...

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  7. That was a great post! Yes, mother's can do it all.

    I was reminded of that yesterday when my kids begged me to buy Avatar. My daughter also begged me to drive her over to her friend's house. When I said 'yes' on both accounts, I received a cheerful, "You ARE the Mom!"

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  8. What a wonderful post, Amanda! My mom is one of my biggest cheerleaders! I swear, she sells more of my books than Barnes & Noble. I can't tell you how many fans have emailed me to say they got my book from my mom, and loved it.

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  9. Fabulous post, Amanda! My mother is a writer, so I guess I have her to thank for that, as well as all the wonderful stuff she does for me every day.

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