What I Want for Mother's Day

"Alyssa, what do you want for Mother's Day?"
"A long bath in a bunker, undisturbed, while I read a book."

Basically for Mother's Day, I want to forget I am a mother.  Or at least, that's how I felt yesterday after Owen dropped rock salt into the ice cream we were trying to make, instead of waiting for me to tell him to put it in the ice mixture.  Then again, I felt the same way this morning on Mother's Day as I pretended to sleep while simultaneously listening to Anduin crying for her apron before she could help Niles make breakfast for me in bed...  Or listening to Niles let out a long string of profanity after he messed up the waffle recipe, using up the last of the butter.  (Wise man finally realized it was way easier to go to a nearby bakery and pick up quiche and pastries - my favorite!)

But then I realized that if I was not a mother, I would miss out on some pretty awesome moments too.  Like last week when we had the heat blasting to try to maintain 66 degrees (have I told you that I live in Maine?), I was still cold on the couch.  Meanwhile, my kids are running around in their underwear.  When they heard I was cold, they brought me a blanket and snuggled on/with me to warm me up as "baby blankets."  Plus, I would miss out on such great questions from Anduin, such as this morning's gem, "Mommy, how do you think squirrels know when someone who wants a pet squirrel is sneaking up on them?"

And I remind myself that I have it easy.  I have a job that I love.  I don't have to worry about where I am getting my next meal or the roof over my head.  I have a caring husband who really does 90% of the housework.  So when I start daydreaming about an underground bunker outfitted with a deep soaker tub, I remind myself that my Mom managed to raise four adults as a single parent after my father died.  And she did so successfully, when you judge by most measures of success (home ownership, happy and stable relationships, advanced degrees, world experiences).  The only part she failed was to raise the doctor, lawyer, dentist, and accountant she had wanted to ease her retirement, (though my younger sister is well on her way to becoming a PhD, just not someone you call if you have a scratchy throat.)

And that job I love?  I was a mother, in a way, long before I had Owen and Anduin.  Just like any protective mother, you didn't mess with my "kids."  I may punish them and chew them up, but you could not.  I always wanted the best for them, for them to succeed in whatever they wanted to in life.  I was happy to listen to their problems and give them advice.

At least I don't have to worry about my sailors getting into an argument about whether one's apple "slime" touched the other, or another singing too loud in the car.  Because I know what every mom knows...

That bunker, the one your kids or spouse have no idea exists, would really be an awesome mother's day present.