What do Hippos and Vin Diesel Have in Common?
Being a mother of two boys, Christian is 15 and Noah is 12, is, as it always has been, filled with surprise, wonder, a wayward hippo proposal, and a lot of laughter. They both are rambunctious, energetic, and the absolute, truest loves of my life (but I confess, Vin Diesel ranks up there too).
20 years ago when I met and fell, or rather face-planted, smack down in love with their father I thought our love trumped all. And it did, until I had my boys.
I have done many things in my time here on Mother Earth but there is nothing I am more proud of than being their mom. Ok, maybe I am more proud of them than I am in myself, or my mothering abilities. After all, they’ve made it all possible. And I think they’re pretty cool, too – and I concede, they may have gotten that from their father, or perhaps it was Vin Diesel.
I gush when I see the fine young men they are growing up to be. They have and will continue to be (if I’m doing this right) the toughest undertaking I have ever come up against and I think I’m doing a fairly good job because they still like to cuddle and they will tell me they love me. And not only when they want something like money, friends over, food, or a pony. One child, and I won’t tell you it was Noah, wanted a hippo but I managed to convince him it would, for sure, smell bad and it wouldn’t fit in the bathtub.
I am happier than I have ever been in being a mother. I am also quite content with being a married person. Sure, my mate and I have had our ups and downs – who hasn’t? But it’s liberating, the strength that can be found, when being strong is clearly the only option left, to persevere. I know I often state this, and I’ll say it again…I have learned that I have absolutely no control over other people’s behaviors, only my own. So, that said, I have also figured out that life, most times, can be viewed from perspectives that promote health and happiness. Knowing what battles to choose (and more importantly – why), where to draw the lines, and how times of peace can be attained without giving up your integrity, your beliefs, or putting aside your feelings. You don’t need infinite choices, only the right ones. Are the footprints you leave behind for your children’s shoes to fill what you want for them?
My take on this thing called life…you live, you err, you learn. The ability (or choice) to forgive others as well as yourself allows you to move forward and not stay stuck. No one said you have to forget, cause chances are, you won’t. So that ‘forgive and forget’ cliché is nonsense.
Going through this ‘live, err, learn’ cycle is beneficial if you let it run it’s course. Then you hope that somewhere in the process, as you get older and wrack up learning points, you’ve managed to become a better person BECAUSE …this cycle will surely strike your children, spinning like a tornado and throwing all kinds of debris (some resembling hippos) in their path of life. Trust and pray some amount of wisdom or knowledge (or maybe a pony) has rewarded you and you will be able to nudge, push, pull - do what ever it takes - to help your children weather their own storms.
I don’t have a ton of wisdom but I have experienced a great deal and have been humbled. I’ve also had a lot of therapy. I attribute that to never having had a pony or Vin Diesel, and I certainly didn’t want a hippo…I asked for an elephant.
20 years ago when I met and fell, or rather face-planted, smack down in love with their father I thought our love trumped all. And it did, until I had my boys.
I have done many things in my time here on Mother Earth but there is nothing I am more proud of than being their mom. Ok, maybe I am more proud of them than I am in myself, or my mothering abilities. After all, they’ve made it all possible. And I think they’re pretty cool, too – and I concede, they may have gotten that from their father, or perhaps it was Vin Diesel.
I gush when I see the fine young men they are growing up to be. They have and will continue to be (if I’m doing this right) the toughest undertaking I have ever come up against and I think I’m doing a fairly good job because they still like to cuddle and they will tell me they love me. And not only when they want something like money, friends over, food, or a pony. One child, and I won’t tell you it was Noah, wanted a hippo but I managed to convince him it would, for sure, smell bad and it wouldn’t fit in the bathtub.
I am happier than I have ever been in being a mother. I am also quite content with being a married person. Sure, my mate and I have had our ups and downs – who hasn’t? But it’s liberating, the strength that can be found, when being strong is clearly the only option left, to persevere. I know I often state this, and I’ll say it again…I have learned that I have absolutely no control over other people’s behaviors, only my own. So, that said, I have also figured out that life, most times, can be viewed from perspectives that promote health and happiness. Knowing what battles to choose (and more importantly – why), where to draw the lines, and how times of peace can be attained without giving up your integrity, your beliefs, or putting aside your feelings. You don’t need infinite choices, only the right ones. Are the footprints you leave behind for your children’s shoes to fill what you want for them?
My take on this thing called life…you live, you err, you learn. The ability (or choice) to forgive others as well as yourself allows you to move forward and not stay stuck. No one said you have to forget, cause chances are, you won’t. So that ‘forgive and forget’ cliché is nonsense.
Going through this ‘live, err, learn’ cycle is beneficial if you let it run it’s course. Then you hope that somewhere in the process, as you get older and wrack up learning points, you’ve managed to become a better person BECAUSE …this cycle will surely strike your children, spinning like a tornado and throwing all kinds of debris (some resembling hippos) in their path of life. Trust and pray some amount of wisdom or knowledge (or maybe a pony) has rewarded you and you will be able to nudge, push, pull - do what ever it takes - to help your children weather their own storms.
I don’t have a ton of wisdom but I have experienced a great deal and have been humbled. I’ve also had a lot of therapy. I attribute that to never having had a pony or Vin Diesel, and I certainly didn’t want a hippo…I asked for an elephant.
Well said, as always!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tracey...I mostly just try to have fun.
ReplyDelete