My mom was a Midwestern girl—very, very practical—and oh, so CALM. I, on the other hand, tend to swing a bit more on the emotional pendulum. Things just seemed to be a bigger deal to me than they were to her. So perhaps that’s what I’ve been missing as I’m raising teenagers—my mother.
After listening to me vent non-stop for 20 minutes straight about my children, I miss her calmly saying, “Susan, you’re not married to this decision. You can change your mind if it doesn’t work out.”
“They will grow and learn from this experience. It’s not going to ruin their life.”
“She’s just being creative! Don’t make it a big deal, and it won’t become a big deal.”
My mom always knew how to give me advice, because she knew me. Without any explanation, she knew what I was really thinking. Therefore, she knew just what to say to get me to adjust my thinking.
I wish I were more like her. So, what I’m thinking now is, “Am I going to calm down as I age so that I can be to my kids what my mom was to me?” —Or— “Am I going to find a different way to be of use to them?”
I wish my mom was here. She would know.
