That Mom...

As the kids get older, they get more involved in all the things.

Soccer, dance, gymnastics, golf, art, and school activities start to fill their calendars. As they get more involved, WE get more involved. It's just how the cycle works. Especially since we are still a good six years away from having drivers.

A lot of my time is spent waiting and watching. I try to keep myself entertained with books and my newfound love for podcasts, but I also use this time to catch up with the siblings that aren't involved in the activity at hand. We talk, draw, play games, catch up on homework, etc... and occasionally I tell other people's children what do do.

Yep. I'm THAT Mom.


This really struck me last week while we were watching Landry at gymnastics. There is one child that has taken to following Emersyn everywhere. Which is totally fine and Emmy doesn't mind. When she gets tired of being followed by 2-3 year olds, she comes over and hangs out with me. Last week, though, this child wanted a paper airplane that we had made.

Child: I want a plane.
Me: Ok - can you say, "please?"
Child: No. Only my mommy can say please.
Me: Wellllll... you're gonna need to say please if you want a plane.
Child: But I can't
Me: Sure you can.
Child: Only my mommy can say please.
Me: You just said please.
Child: I can't.
Me: Ok, well you need to use your manners if you want a plane.

(Meanwhile, other parents are giving me a death stare for being THAT Mom.)

And I almost gave in. But I didn't.

Me: Can you please say please? (Because I want to set a good example)
Child: hesitantly and ever-so-faintly Please.
Me: SURE you can have a plane!
Makes plane and then insists child says "thank you"

So, yes. I'm THAT mom.

I'm that mom that will make your kids say "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" and "sir" and "please" and "thank you".
I'm that mom that will correct them if I hear them saying unkind things.
I'm that mom that will make them take turns.
I'm that mom that will make them wait.
I'm that mom that will answer their hard questions.
I'm that mom that may ask them hard questions.
I'm that mom that will love them enough to treat them exactly how I would treat my own kids.

I'm THAT mom, because I had THOSE moms around me. THOSE moms that corrected my behavior, made me say please, asked me to apologize, wait my turn, or challenged me to think. THOSE moms that loved me enough to know that I could do better than whatever it was I choosing to do.

It takes a village. A village of people we know and love and trust and a village of complete strangers that want what's best for other complete strangers.

So, I'm going to keep being THAT mom to kids that I know and even kids that I don't.

I hope you will be THAT mom to my kids, too.