One of the funniest stories I have about Mama is that time when she suddenly walked into my room, made me sit across her on my bed, and worriedly asked me, "Why are you drinking? Do you have a problem?"
Incredulous at my mom's question, I wasn't able to keep a loud laugh from bursting out of me. Of course it annoyed her and made her want me to see that she was serious, which was severely obvious and was the reason why I had laughed. I simply explained to her that, yes, I do drink but not because I have any problems; that I'm a social drinker, meaning I just drink at parties with friends; and that I've never gotten drunk (true at the time I told her this. Got drunk for the first time a couple of years after that, at a friend's going-away party).
That afternoon, I had to summon a great deal of self-control to stop myself from divulging to her that, in fact, it was Papa who taught me how to drink. Specifically, how to drink beer properly. Ma, I know you're reading this and you have to know that Pa did the right thing (get him out of the hot water now). Learning about these things from your own parent than from somebody else is always better because your parent can (and should) give you better guidance, especially about things that you'll most likely encounter in life anyway.
Essentially, I assured Mama that I would never do a stupid thing like become an alcoholic. She went out of my room that day leaving me with no surety that she was convinced. But, until today, I've never recanted what I had promised her.
Looking back on that day now, I realized that I didn't even ask how she found out that I drink. But, now that I, too, am a mother, I am sure that she really had her own ways of knowing about these things. Even if now that we're thousands of miles apart, it astonishes me how my mom seems to know how I'm feeling. My friend Earnest, who is also a mother, calls it the "mommy radar".
I remember my friend Joanna's story about how she freaked out her daughter Meggy with her "mommy radar". Meggy dared her to prove that "moms know everything". She asked her mother, "What number am I thinking of?" Joanna later told me that she was suddenly overcome with an amazing clarity that made her see on Meggy's face the number her daughter had on her mind (honestly, I can't remember what number that was. Let's pretend it was "14"). She stared into her eyes and declared, "14". A look of horror washed over Meggy's face. She ran off to her father, screaming, "Mommy is a witch!!!"
As all kids who have successfully kept secrets from their mothers know, moms do not know everything. But, it's clear that God has given mothers a sharp intuitive ability and sensitivity. My husband once told me that he's amazed at my "super hearing" and acute sense of smell. Another mommy friend of ours, Candice, told him that those are "protective instincts" that are especially heightened once a woman becomes a mother. So, physiologically, we are built to be very aware. A part of me believes that moms want to know everything, but not because they're suspicious or gossipy, rather because they care the most.
Granted, good mothering isn't enough using just instincts. It is a whole lot of work. Some days, you go nuts. Other days, your heart melts all over the place. But, it's all the same to us as long as our kids have beautiful smiles on their faces :-)
Incredulous at my mom's question, I wasn't able to keep a loud laugh from bursting out of me. Of course it annoyed her and made her want me to see that she was serious, which was severely obvious and was the reason why I had laughed. I simply explained to her that, yes, I do drink but not because I have any problems; that I'm a social drinker, meaning I just drink at parties with friends; and that I've never gotten drunk (true at the time I told her this. Got drunk for the first time a couple of years after that, at a friend's going-away party).
That afternoon, I had to summon a great deal of self-control to stop myself from divulging to her that, in fact, it was Papa who taught me how to drink. Specifically, how to drink beer properly. Ma, I know you're reading this and you have to know that Pa did the right thing (get him out of the hot water now). Learning about these things from your own parent than from somebody else is always better because your parent can (and should) give you better guidance, especially about things that you'll most likely encounter in life anyway.
Looking back on that day now, I realized that I didn't even ask how she found out that I drink. But, now that I, too, am a mother, I am sure that she really had her own ways of knowing about these things. Even if now that we're thousands of miles apart, it astonishes me how my mom seems to know how I'm feeling. My friend Earnest, who is also a mother, calls it the "mommy radar".
I remember my friend Joanna's story about how she freaked out her daughter Meggy with her "mommy radar". Meggy dared her to prove that "moms know everything". She asked her mother, "What number am I thinking of?" Joanna later told me that she was suddenly overcome with an amazing clarity that made her see on Meggy's face the number her daughter had on her mind (honestly, I can't remember what number that was. Let's pretend it was "14"). She stared into her eyes and declared, "14". A look of horror washed over Meggy's face. She ran off to her father, screaming, "Mommy is a witch!!!"
Granted, good mothering isn't enough using just instincts. It is a whole lot of work. Some days, you go nuts. Other days, your heart melts all over the place. But, it's all the same to us as long as our kids have beautiful smiles on their faces :-)
Happy Mother's Day to all you sexy Mamas!
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