That's Me

I'm a lot of things...wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, Christian, and more. But of all these things, one of them I am reminded of more than any other. Mom. Because at least a million times a day I hear the word. "Mom, I can't find socks/ipod/baseball glove." "Mom, what's for breakfast/lunch/dinner?" "Mom, where's my puppy/kitty/baby/book?" "Mom, I'm hungry/thirsty/hot." "Mom, can I watch tv/play video games/have a popsicle?" "Mom, he hit/poked/looked at me!" "Mom, can we go to McDonald's/the park/Pappy's house?" "Mom, do I really have to clean my room/brush my teeth/take a bath/ go to bed?" And on and on and on it goes. Some days I really don't want to even hear the word again. I want to say, "Ask your dad." Or, "Don't even think about asking me one more question today." But I don't. I answer the question or find the puppy or start supper. Because I am, 100 percent, totally and completely Mom.

Last night, after being asleep for a few hours, I heard over the monitor a sleepy, little "Mommy." I know to wait a minute because it's probably just sleep talk. And it was. But lying there awake and having heard that word again, I decided to take it and put it in a little box in my mind. A little box that I can pull out one of these days when I have a day where no one calls me Mom because my children are not living under my roof or dependant on me for all those little things. That day is a long way off since I still have a preschooler at home. But I also have an almost 12 year old, so I know all too well how fast the years fly by. That day will come. And I'll miss these days.

So today, after being called on a million times, I will smile and put the million and first one in my "Mom" box. And save it for a day when I need to hear it once again.