Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My Mother, My Best Friend

I was loading another batch of photos that have been scanned in and came across this photo. I love it. It really captures the relationship I had with my mom. She and I were both a generation apart and peers. She was my mom, but she was also my best girlfriend. Her baby boy and my baby girls put us both squarely in the "stay at home" mom camp. We had so much fun together. We went to playgroups, we worked on projects, we traded babysitting. And I could see and learn how to be a mother by watching her.

How many people have that opportunity? I didn't have to ask my mom how to parent, I got to watch my mom parent. She was a pro at it. It was great being just a little "behind" her. She would make cool folder games for Tyler. I would think, "I should make those." But then Tyler would outgrow it and she would just give it to me.

She would take Tyler on fun outings and I would go with her. She was the grandmother that always remembered what it was like to have little kids (because she still had one). She was the grandmother that knew exactly what her grandkids needed because she could see what her son needed in a grandparent.

I know it sounds cliche to say, "My mom is my best friend." but that really was the way it was. Just look at this picture. Here we are, 3 weeks before Madelyn was born. We are having a great time together. We are at the Kemah Boardwalk. We had just had a great seafood dinner. We didn't go for any particular reason, just because the weather was nice and it would be fun to go out before the baby was born.

And of all the lessons I have learned from her one of my favorite is just that.

"Never waste a day of good weather." There are always bad weather days enough to do the chores and run the errands -- but embrace the beautiful days for all they are worth. She always did. And now I have the memories of such beautiful days to treasure forever.




1 comment:

Kelli said...

you both are beautiful in that picture and the kids are so darling. Tyler and his missing teeth. haha