Little A is still at the stage where he adores me, and I'm his constant companion. But as the years pass, I know he will spend more and more time discovering the world on his own, and I'm not sure how I'll feel about that.
Looking back at my own childhood, my most vivid memories of my mother are the sacrifices she made. Every weekday, rain or shine, she would pick me up from school at 3:45 pm on the dot and drive me to ballet class in a city that was miles away. There was traffic and I was always stressed about being late - now I realize she must have been more so, trying to get me to classes and rehearsals on time. The same thing happened on Saturdays, only then we left in the mornings. I assumed she would kill the time while I was dancing going to the nearest shopping center to do her errands, as these were the days before mobile phones, laptops and the Internet, so attempting to work from anywhere but the office just wasn't a possibility. After a few hours, she'd be back to drive me home. Sometimes I'd fall asleep in the car, leaving her to complete the long ride home with just the radio for company. I don't remember thanking her at the end of every day, or even now, years later, when I fully realize what efforts she made. This routine went on for years, until at the age of 13 I went to boarding school in England.
Today my mother is a doting grandma to seven lucky children. She shows her affection best with time and presents, and while she tries to laugh it off, it must hurt that some of the grandchildren, Little A included, prefer grandpa to grandma. My husband and I plan to raise Little A to respect and love his grandmothers, even more so than his grandfathers. If he continues to be the observant little boy he is now, he'll realize what motherhood entails, and it won't be such a thankless job.
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
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