Can I just be honest and say that for some reason these Mother’s Day luncheons never seem to work out for us? Maybe it’s just that what’s on the outside doesn’t match up with what’s on the inside sometimes, and my boys and I are not very good at pretending. All of the smiling, dressed-up mommy faces with their cooperative, sweet children beaming up at them (glaringly with one child or two children, with one being a sweet sleeping or giggling baby who isn’t mobile and can’t talk back). It could’ve been that at my table were two other moms, each with two GIRLS. I felt like they were staring at my boys and I like we had two heads apiece. Roman, for some reason, that always happens these days (geesh…I thought we’d already been through the terrible twos and paid our dues…but wait there’s more…the gouge-your-eyes-out threes) decided to cry and pitch a fit the entire time over EVERYTHING. Mommy’s trying to take a picture with just Xander (waaaaaaaah), he wasn’t looking where he was going and bumped into Xander (waaaaaaaah), Mommy didn’t open his present first (waaaaaaaah), he’s hungry at the table (waaaaaaaah), he’s hungry in the lunch line (waaaaaaaah), he doesn’t know what to dip everything in (waaaaaaaah), he wants more oranges and sour cream….right now (waaaaaaaah), his plate is messy (waaaaaaaah), etc. With tears streaming down his face and feeling my heart pound with the heat of stares and just wanting it all to be over, we bailed. Happy Mother’s Day to me…I get to bring my boys, who were sick and home from school all last week, home early with me today for a sweet end-of-the-year Mother’s Day gift (kick in the pants). Xander actually did a great job this year (unlike last year when we left early because the Oreo cookies I brought from home, because I’m such a bad mom, to substitute for non-peanut-free desserts were NOT BIG ENOUGH waaaaaaaah). Xander walked to the van…followed by me, with two backpacks and two truly precious handmade gifts in tow and…Roman, having a massive throw-down because I wouldn’t pick him up and carry him too. I went ahead and buckled Xander in and sat in the front seat waiting for Roman, who at the bottom of the stairs several feet away stood stock still and then, when he realized I wasn’t coming to carry his three year old self, muppeted his mouth open into the biggest Mommy-has-abandoned me wail and magically started walking to the car. Ah life, for which I am thankful…and ah kids, with whom I’ve been richly blessed…sometimes it just gets to me and sometimes I just have to laugh…or cry…or both. Why does God continue to put up with us…his children? I know we’re like this with Him…even as adults. I guess it’s because He loves us. I love my boys. Happy Mother’s Day!
