the woman i call first
today is international women’s day. this year i would like to celebrate my mama. a woman who by example taught me to walk down whatever path in life i wanted – and to do it in tie dye and glitter. she raised me to be loud.
she encouraged me to be fearless in the pursuit of knowledge and education. she brought my sister and me to the library constantly. she found art and crafts classes, signed us up for workshops, and agreed to let my father enter us in fishing contests. she was home every day after school and had a hot dinner on the table every night. she was a caregiver for other children, sometimes worked nights, and did all of it without complaint or coffee!
never once in my entire childhood did i hear my mother bitch about her weight, hair, or appearance. (she never had too – my mama is a hottie! but even beautiful women still participate in “fat talk.”) instead while my sister and i were growing up my mom focused on play, crafts, and art projects. we were raised with the understanding that it is great to look nice but it is certainly not the most important thing in the world. sometimes my mother wears makeup and sometimes she doesn’t. sometimes she wears a fur coat to the grocery store and sometimes she wears a dinosaur t-shirt to a party. she often has pink hair and springs trips to the tattoo shop on me. she loves to have fun and be silly and often times that means wearing wild outfits or furry shoes.
as a teenager and in my early twenties my mother let me make my own mistakes… always there to pick me up when i chose wrong or celebrate when things went right. she never judged me. never tried to steer me in a different direction. she always encouraged me to be the exact weirdo i am.
today my mother is my best friend. the woman i call first when i have good or bad news. she is the person i most try to emulate every day of my life. she is the best example i could have ever had on how to be a stay at home mother.
mom – thank you for all you have done for me. for my education. for supporting my decision to be a stay at home working mother. for the daily cheerleading. for reminding me how fast it all goes and that “cleaning and scrubbing can wait ’til tomorrow…” for all you are and all you ever have been. i love you.
