The Art of Mothering
Mother’s Day is upon us once again. Several famous mothers come to mind as I reflect on the upcoming day honoring our mothers: Mother Teresa, Mother of Pearl, Ma Kettle and of course, Mother Goose. I have had a more personal relationship with Mother Goose than any of the others. I grew up listening to my mother recite her poems and then went on to recite them to my children. I even went to visit Mother Goose’s grave in Granary Burying Ground near the Boston Commons in Boston. Historians are quick to point out that Mary Goose, aka Mother Goose, wasn’t the real Mother Goose. But she’s good enough for me. Her gravestone says she’s Mother Goose, and I believe it. She’s with good company at Granary; Paul Revere was buried there as well.
Mother’s Day is upon us once again. Several famous mothers come to mind as I reflect on the upcoming day honoring our mothers: Mother Teresa, Mother of Pearl, Ma Kettle and of course, Mother Goose. I have had a more personal relationship with Mother Goose than any of the others. I grew up listening to my mother recite her poems and then went on to recite them to my children. I even went to visit Mother Goose’s grave in Granary Burying Ground near the Boston Commons in Boston. Historians are quick to point out that Mary Goose, aka Mother Goose, wasn’t the real Mother Goose. But she’s good enough for me. Her gravestone says she’s Mother Goose, and I believe it. She’s with good company at Granary; Paul Revere was buried there as well.
Mothers are always spouting words of wisdom and doom to their children. It’s their way of showing they care, and an effort to preserve the species. Remember hearing “If everybody else jumped off a cliff, would you jump too?” I think jumping “off a cliff” might be indigenous to areas where there actually are cliffs. Perhaps in Nebraska or Kansas mothers ask if you’d jump down a well or something. But the point was you couldn’t do something just because “everybody” else was.
Or how about “Put on clean underwear! You never know when you’ll be in an accident.” The strong probability of soiling ourselves if we ever were in an accident may never have occurred to mom. Frankly, if I’m unconscious from being hit by a car (truck, tractor or deer, take your pick), I don’t think I, or the doctors, are going to care if I’ve done a doo-doo in my pants. But I’ll change my underwear daily on general principles.
“Be careful. You’ll put your eye out,” is one of personal experience for me. Kids are always running with scissors, sticks and other potentially lethal objects, and mothers are forever telling them not to do it. When my son was five years old, he was playing sword fight with a stick with a little friend. We two moms were sitting on the back steps talking, when a blood curdling scream came from the yard. My son had poked himself in the eye. I watched in grisly fascination as his pupil disappeared in a pool of blood. I rushed him to the hospital where he remained flat on his back for three days. Luckily no permanent damage was done, but let that be a lesson to you!
I recall quite often saying to my children, “Close the door – were you born in a barn?” Kids are always leaving the doors open, letting the flies in or the heat out. My parents are different. Go ahead, leave the door open. If the flies or bees get in, that’s okay. We’ll just capture them and put them back outside. My folks are born pacifists. We didn’t kill anything when we were growing up, except flies and mosquitoes. They evidently have no socially redeeming value. Bees, hornets, wasps; they all get rescued, if at all possible, and released back into the wild from whence they came. It drives my husband nuts. He’s a great poison man and has a killer instinct. He’ll poison ants, mice and dandelions any chance he can get. Me, I still try to catch and release. (Oh, that reminds me of fishing. I’ll have to remember to tell you that story another time.)
I’ll leave you with, “Don’t make that face or it’ll stick that way.” Hopefully you’re smiling, remembering your own mother’s words of advice. Keep smiling, may it’ll stick that way. Happy Mother’s Day.
Or how about “Put on clean underwear! You never know when you’ll be in an accident.” The strong probability of soiling ourselves if we ever were in an accident may never have occurred to mom. Frankly, if I’m unconscious from being hit by a car (truck, tractor or deer, take your pick), I don’t think I, or the doctors, are going to care if I’ve done a doo-doo in my pants. But I’ll change my underwear daily on general principles.
“Be careful. You’ll put your eye out,” is one of personal experience for me. Kids are always running with scissors, sticks and other potentially lethal objects, and mothers are forever telling them not to do it. When my son was five years old, he was playing sword fight with a stick with a little friend. We two moms were sitting on the back steps talking, when a blood curdling scream came from the yard. My son had poked himself in the eye. I watched in grisly fascination as his pupil disappeared in a pool of blood. I rushed him to the hospital where he remained flat on his back for three days. Luckily no permanent damage was done, but let that be a lesson to you!
I recall quite often saying to my children, “Close the door – were you born in a barn?” Kids are always leaving the doors open, letting the flies in or the heat out. My parents are different. Go ahead, leave the door open. If the flies or bees get in, that’s okay. We’ll just capture them and put them back outside. My folks are born pacifists. We didn’t kill anything when we were growing up, except flies and mosquitoes. They evidently have no socially redeeming value. Bees, hornets, wasps; they all get rescued, if at all possible, and released back into the wild from whence they came. It drives my husband nuts. He’s a great poison man and has a killer instinct. He’ll poison ants, mice and dandelions any chance he can get. Me, I still try to catch and release. (Oh, that reminds me of fishing. I’ll have to remember to tell you that story another time.)
I’ll leave you with, “Don’t make that face or it’ll stick that way.” Hopefully you’re smiling, remembering your own mother’s words of advice. Keep smiling, may it’ll stick that way. Happy Mother’s Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment