Some Things You Never Forget

I like how even though my girls are in junior high and high school, when I stand in the back of a room or event; I STILL find myself swaying as if I’m holding and rocking them to calm them. Just like when they were babies.

I like how when I’m in a store and I hear a little one call out “Mom!” I turn my head. Even if I know my children are at home, school, or somewhere else.  The “mama” in me is always ready to answer a little one hollering for their mom.

I like how I open doors for parents with strollers or car seats. Because I know how heavy and bulky it is to maneuver those things.

I like how I always try to smile at a mom who is trying to eloquently calm her child or baby in public. I smile with an understanding look on my face – somehow trying to get the message across to her that I understand and it’s okay that your child is not acting perfectly right at this moment.

Yes. Mothering becomes a part of you. Always. Some things you forget. When I watched my grandson when he was a baby, I had to remember how much formula to mix with water. When I mentor other young mamas, I have to strain to remember at what age my children did such and such. You forget.

But some things you never forget. Some things just become a part of you, once you have a baby. The things like the sway of rocking a baby or how to hold them and get them to burp. They become instinctive.

And I like that. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I like that “knowing.” That feeling of being able to connect with someone else (mom OR child!)  I like that part of me that immediately softens and does what God created it to do….mother.