Mothering is not a "phase." It is not something we stop doing when our children "grow up."
In my opinion, little boys don't really grow up...they just get married. Since mine have not gotten married, they are still my responsibility.
They are "my little boys." Even though they are 24 and 26.
If more wives understood this, they would resent their mother-in-laws a little less.
Rarely do I "muse" in my "Projects, Musing and More." But today I need to "muse."
I received a text Sunday from my youngest son. "I think I'm going to the hospital in Harrison. I will need a good dentist."
Long story short, he had a motorcycle accident on a dirt road waaaaay out in the middle of nowhere. It took the ambulance an hour to get to him and an hour to get to the hospital.The hospital was an hour and a half from me. Long ride.
We are lucky on several fronts. First, he was alive. Second, he had on ALL his gear (people who ride without helmets are morons, plain and simple!!!) and he was riding with experienced guys who were watching out for one another!
I remember being in the grocery store after work when my boys were 4 and 6. They had the "daycare" funk going on...smelly, dirty, tired, hungry. Moms know...that funky "dirty kid" smell and the kind of dirt you can see running down their little sweaty faces. And they were being little stink bugs, running amuck, telling me how hungry they were!
As I was standing in the checkout lane I looked down and the oldest was picking his nose and putting it in his mouth. I discreetly told him to quit...to which he LOUDLY proclaimed, "But Mom, I TOLD YOU I WAS HUNGRY!!"
Mortified.
That is the only way I know to describe my reaction. I remember an older lady tapped me on the shoulder and asked me how old they were. Four and six. She looked at me with understanding eyes and said "It doesn't get any better."
At the time, I took it as "slit my wrist right here....I'll never survive"
But looking back, I realize...it really doesn't get any better. Parenting is the greatest joy there is on earth and I know now that there will be absolute lows and insane highs.
I believe with all my heart those lows are what allow us to appreciate and cherish the incredible highs. And the incredible highs are what carry us through the lows.
Sunday was one of those absolute lows. The kind of day that requires a mom to find the strength of Hercules and the faith of Ruth.
After X-rays, CAT scans and MRIs, it was determined that my son needed to be air lifted to a trauma center. Unfortunately we had storms moving in. Plan B actually worked out far better because it meant he could be taken by ambulance to a hospital near our home.
He is home with 4 broken vertebra and a few chipped teeth. Three months in a body cast. As bad as it may seem, it truly is a miracle it wasn't worse.
This is not my first rehab rodeo. My oldest son had a broken arm that required surgery to place titanium plates and this son had knee surgery. Both required a three month "healing period" and then rehab. This, of course, on top of the typical little boy injuries of numerous trips to the ER and doctor for stitches, busted teeth, burns and minor scrapes.
Little boys may grown up, but they never stop being our little boys.
There will be lows, but there will be some incredible highs.
Keep the faith. Cherish every minute because when times are tough, you will need those highs to remind you that being a mom is the great joy on earth...
IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER!!!
