On Becoming your Mother ...

I had one of those funny (not ha-ha) moments today when I had the sharp realization that I had just done almost EXACTLY something that my mother had done when I was young ... and that I have teased her about many, many times since.

For those of you who know my mom, you know, as I do, that there are few people in the world more patient, kind and soft-spoken as she is. I truly aspire to be more like her. I can count on ONE HAND the times I remember her raising her voice at me and getting angry (I've already far surpassed that and I've only had kids for 3 and 1/2 years!). One of those times, however, is still etched in my memory.

This is how it went down ... I was about 9 or 10 and was immersed in reading the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It must have been a Saturday or during the summer because I was home during the day, and my mom asked me to do some chores around the house while she went outside to do something (we lived on a 30+ acre chicken farm at the time -- there was always a lot to do!). Well, instead of doing whatever she had asked, I ran to my room to keep reading. When I heard the door and knew that Mom was back inside, I jumped up and tried to LOOK as though I had been industrious ... but like all good moms, she was not fooled!! And boy, was she mad!! She tore my book right in half!!! And I've never let her forget it. Well, as they say, what goes around, comes around.

Today, Cady was reading her new Snow White book that we had gotten yesterday at the dollar store. Maddy was trying to grab the book and Cady was vehemently protesting and yanking it back. In the ensuing tug-of-war, a page tore and Cady freaked out. "She tore my book!!" If this had been an isolated incident of not-sharing gone awry, I may have reacted more calmly, but Cady acts as if every toy and book in the whole house are hers and I lost my temper and ...

yep, you guessed it, I grabbed the book and tore it in half. I immediately froze and my heart sank, because I knew that I could never, ever tease my mom again about her totally understandable actions over 20 years ago!!