mommy moments

i'm sure we've all witnessed mommy moments.

i came up with the term after seeing my best friend interact with her first child. there were little phrases they exchanged, strings of ridiculous baby talk in the middle of supposedly adult conversations, tearful first days at school (i STILL don't quite get that one...), etc.

mommy moments can happen anywhere and at any time. sometimes they're cute, other times they mean your doom (e.g., the look).

they can even happen once you're grown and no longer living at home...

i was in the middle of the most gangsta shakespeare play i'd ever seen when my mom called. a little girl in a commercial had just reminded her of me as a child. she gushed over how sweet i was, that i was a calming influence on the whole house.

but the sweetest thing was her saying, "i don't know what i did to deserve you."

i basically sat there with my mouth open. i thanked her, but honestly? i was just getting to the good part of the movie, and i can take my mother's sentimental spells for granted. so my reaction was largely, "um...ok...thanks?" and some nervous laughter.

but, i'm gonna have to thank her today, 'cause that was a really nice thing to hear. there are a lot of folks who either wish they could relive those mommy moments, or long to witness one from their own mother.

those moments are how i learned what i was like as a child, and how much of that little girl has remained with me. it's also nice that she's accepted the adult version of me because i was "always special".

she paid enough attention to notice all of that and nurture it, so i'm very grateful.

truthfully, i don't know what i did to deserve her, either.

so, thanks for the moment, mom. love you.