My mom wasn’t like most moms. She had me when she was 21 and, because of divorce, ended up raising me and my brother on her own. She worked hard to support the three of us, something I never really comprehended or appreciated while living at home.
My mom wasn’t afraid to “get down on our level” and play with us. Sometimes my mom would chase me and my brother (even when we were teenagers) into her room and we would have pillow fights (sometimes tickle fights) on her bed. Once we were exhausted we would hang out in her room and talk. We talked about silly stuff, serious stuff, anything really. My brother and I always treasured those kinds of time with mom. She never seemed shocked or offended by anything we had to say. She just listened and offered wisdom when it was necessary.
My brother and I seemed to have been a constant source of entertainment for her, which was great because there wasn’t a lot of money to spend on movies or going out to eat. My brother & I loved to hide around our house and jump out and scare my mom. The all-time greatest scare was when I crawled up behind her pillows on her bed one night and, when she got into bed to go to sleep, I jumped out from behind the pillows. She hasn’t ever forgotten that one.
I recall having a chocolate pudding fight in the kitchen one night after dinner. The pudding was supposed to be desert, but somehow it ended up on all 3 of us instead.
Like most children, I didn’t really appreciate my mom the way I should have while I was growing up. Now, being a mother myself, I look back in awe at how incredibly involved my mother was in my life and my brother’s life. I value the time she played with us and I hope that my husband & I can enjoy our kids the ways that she enjoyed my brother & me.
April
Sandra Joseph
jangodbey
Oh April,
And now your Mom is so young to enjoy her beautiful little granddaughters. She is blessed to see her children’s children.
Thanks for the story.
sandy