Sunday, March 03, 2013

Mothers of Boys


Last week I went to visit my colleague Melissa and her two sweet boys, Luke and Harrison.  She and her husband are both professional artists, so their adorable old home is filled with bright bursts of vibrant color and a sense of creativity that manifests itself in things like funky furniture pieces and beautiful wall murals.  If she ever sold her house, I'd buy it in a heartbeat -- and beg her to leave all her cool stuff inside.  :)

It was so great catching up with her and getting a taste of what is ahead for me with my baby boy.  There were cars, trucks, plastic dinosaurs, Leggos, and building blocks scattered around.  Luke was proud of his Superman pajamas, and I noted that the detachable cape, which was held on by two convenient pieces of Velcro, didn't at all diminish his response to a cry for rescue, nor his sense of invincibility in delivering it.

Liam absolutely fascinated little Harrison--who inched closer to us whenever possible--until he accidentally dropped his small piece of raisin bread into the deep abyss of the toy box, which sent him into an adorable fit of hysterical crying, which his mom remedied with the speed of a reflex.  I swear I saw her take a bite of that bread before she handed it back to Harrison.  But he didn't notice, and I laughed inside to realize how quickly a mother chills-out about dust and germs when she's given her second.  (With my sense of microscopy, it's a wonder that I don't have a whole roost following me around!)

But perhaps what made me smile inside the most was that Melissa, whom I've given the Best Dressed Colleague Award for three consecutive years in a row, was unapologetically sweatpants-clad...and she had only gotten home from work 5 minutes before my arrival!  By this, she somehow affirmed me as a mom.  It was a realistic portrayal of what being a mom really is.  Being a mom is hard work.  It's all-encompassing.  It's sippy-cup spills and Cheerio tosses.  It's temper tantrums and potty training.  Being a mom is her REAL job.  The sun rises and sets on those boys.  She merely twilights as an art teacher.  :)