N.-
Lots of talk is going around about what it means to be a ‘real mom’ (see the meme) , so I thought I’d chime in with my two cents on the matter.
The way I see it, what makes a woman a real mom is what lies in her heart. A real mom’s heart:
- Feels joy at the presence or sight of her child
- Feels pain when her child is in pain
- Feels hopeful for the future in all that her child can possibly be
- Breaks when her child’s heart breaks
- Sings with pride with each new accomplishment her child makes
- Worries about her child when she can’t be nearby
- Strikes out at those who try to hurt her child
- Laughs when her child laughs
- Finds peace when her children are safe
- Allows her to do things for her child she’d never do for anyone else
- Loves her child no matter where he or she is
Everyone does their mothering differently. Some are the day to day caretakers and some are the day to day worriers. Others are fortunate enough to be both, but it is the mother’s heart that makes her “REAL.”
Be well today.
E.
Letters to a Birthmother 
E-
Thank you for this post. You know, I have 5 kids. Three are mine from birth and the other two through adoption and it hurts my feelings every single time when someone says “oh, so these two are adopted and the other three are yours” or “what happened to their ‘real’ mother?” I will never get used to it and I am not ashamed to bluntly say “They are ALL mine!”
Sherri
What a day you had…the fire ant mating ritual and the rub-a-dub-dub-no-water-in-the-tub then the whole zombie sleepwalker with small crazy man child…I can’t wait for those days 🙂 I hope the cancer causing agents did their job and that water is flowing freely. I hope that you find a good two hours of sleep somewhere in the day and that daycare opens again soon. Hang in there!
thanks for the encouragement, Trixie! The fog of grouchiness has lifted, Thank God! Baby seems back to normal and daycare is back in session tomorrow! We’ve slept two nights in a row (again, Thanks to the Big Guy upstairs!)
And yes, Sherri, those are all so much your children. They are the ones you have fought for and loved . No one can ever say you aren’t the “real” mom to the girls after reading your blog!
What an awesome entry, and how true it is!!!
More later, sorry in a hurry today.
Amen to that whole list!
Love the theme of your blog and what you wrote about what makes a mom “real.”