There are expectations that we all have of parenthood that begin when you are very young.  You expect that you will love your children from the very beginning and that you will never ever stop no matter how old they are, you expect to go on vacations, make art projects, and run errands with your kids, you expect that you will be patient and kind and keep your temper in control (for the most part) when raising your children.  We learn to expect these things based on our own experiences with our own patient, kind, loving and adventurous parents.  We expect to laugh at the sillies and cry at the disappointments, just as our parents did with us.  But then there are the things we don’t expect.

The thing that really surprised me is how much I LIKE my kids.  I always knew that I would love my children, what parent doesn’t, but now that I have them, I really like them.  Gigi and Jude are actually really fun people to be around.  Along with Bradley, They are my buddies, my pals.  I often prefer their company over that of adults.  Our conversations are fun and interesting (at least with Gigi who is a fluent English speaker at this point) and the perspectives she presents at times are so insightful.  It is a delight to hear words like ‘perception’ or ‘prerogative’ come out of her mouth.  Her unending questions and curiosities make me see the world with fresh eyes again, and for that I am so appreciative.  Jude needs to blow dandelion fluff across the yard, and while the grown-up in me cringes, I recognize the beauty of those seeds floating through the air.  It is magic.

Then there are the moments which tell the future.  The other day Gigi and I happened to be alone chatting, Bradley was at the house working and Jude was sleeping.  There was no TV, no music, no computer, just the girl and me hanging out on the couch in conversation about who knows what for who knows how long.  I enjoyed my girlfriend time with my daughter just as I would a good friend.  It is good to know that I not only have the kids I always wanted, but I also have two more companions in the world.

I am a grateful mother on this Mother’s Day for my marvelous little people and wonderful husband.


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