27 June 2006
On motherhood
When you are nine you might think you’re super cool, but your mom knows that you’re still just cute when she sees you propping up your new stuffed dog so he can watch Clifford’s Puppy Days on TV.
I am the mother of school-age children. At the park this morning while Katherine was at tennis, I was the only mother sitting on a bench engrossed in her book, only occasionally looking up to monitor the whereabouts of her son who had fallen in with a group of young boys. All the others had babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who required hovering and/or perpetual assistance. Sometimes I think I glimpse my next destination—a mother ten years my senior out solo, her children either otherwise occupied or too cool to hang out with Mom. I'm content with where I am now.
I do love watching five-year-old boys play together. At this age they seem to have just become capable of fully intentional group interaction. At the same time they are so unselfconscious and filled with boundless energy that fills me with joy to observe.
I am the mother of school-age children. At the park this morning while Katherine was at tennis, I was the only mother sitting on a bench engrossed in her book, only occasionally looking up to monitor the whereabouts of her son who had fallen in with a group of young boys. All the others had babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who required hovering and/or perpetual assistance. Sometimes I think I glimpse my next destination—a mother ten years my senior out solo, her children either otherwise occupied or too cool to hang out with Mom. I'm content with where I am now.
I do love watching five-year-old boys play together. At this age they seem to have just become capable of fully intentional group interaction. At the same time they are so unselfconscious and filled with boundless energy that fills me with joy to observe.
