Motherhood–How Delightfully Confusing

Last night, I plopped down in my recliner at about 8:00 p.m. The kids were absorbed in a cartoon they were watching on T.V., so I thought to myself, “Yay, here’s a chance for me to read a little.” I dug out the book (More Stories For The Heart) that I had tried to start reading a month or so back. I turned to page 155 to read a brief story from the topic “family,” and this was what I read:

When Grown Kids Come To Visit

By: Erma Bombeck

In earlier days, I was a mother who made her kids pick up their rooms, make their own snacks, and put their laundry in the utility room. Now when they come home, I put the rules aside. I am like a concierge looking for a big tip. I follow them around asking, “Are you hungry? Can I get you something? Do you have laundry?”

I eat when they want to eat, cook their favorite foods just before they tell me they are going out with friends and watch helplessly as they eat their way through a pound of baked ham at three in the afternoon.

On their visit, my life changes. I have no car. My washer is set at extra-large load and has two socks and a T-shirt in it. The phone rings constantly and is never for me.

At the end of their visits, we set aside a day, pack a lunch and head for the airport. It isn’t until I return home that I sense how orderly my life has become. I enjoy the quiet. The TV tuner is rescued from the clothes hamper and is returned to its place on the coffee table. The empty milk and juice cartons are removed from the refrigerator. The wet towels are put in the washer. The bathroom is returned to health standards.

It is my world again. So why am I crying?

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S-o-o-o, upon finishing this one little story, I brushed away a tear or two, and promptly placed the book back on the end table. I turned toward the couch and studied each of my children for a moment, as they continued staring blankly at the T.V. I then asked imploringly, “Would anyone like to come sit with Mommy in the chair?” Kerry quickly obliged, and in less than a minute was nestled on my right side; sharing my blanket. At first, Sarah seemed uninterested. However, before long, she too made her way over to the chair, and was soon settled on my other side.

I hugged my two “babies” and held them close, as we sat there; all piled into that old recliner. The three of us were all snuggled and warm, while Gracie (our family dog) sat at my feet. For a moment, as I sighed in contentment, “all was right with the world”………

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**P.S. and update: If you liked this post, you might also like:

—“Burdens” That Are Heavy; Not Burdensome

—Folding Laundry While Events Unfold