ORIGINALLY POSTED ON YODELINGMAMAS.COM
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Those of you who know my husband know he’s a pretty amazing gift giver. He’s extremely thoughtful, generous and creative. This Mother’s Day was no exception. He and the boys surprised me by sending me away to the local Westin for a night to enjoy some “me” time. They decorated the room with flowers, musical cards (this was the first year Big could actually write his name!), candy, wine and magazines.
At 4 years old, my husband trusted Big with the secret. He knew for a week and worked so hard not to tell. One time he even sang quietly, as if to convince himself, “I have a secret and I’m not going to tell.” And he almost made it. Almost. But when they came back from their last pre-celebration errand, he shouted, “Mom, we saw a limo at your hotel!”
It was ok though. I had my suspicions. This glorious tradition started last year when I was at the end of my rope after just returning to work from maternity leave and having a sick baby who hadn’t slept more that a 2-hour stretch in a couple months. (And, hey, if that’s what it took to be a spoiled for a day, so be it.)
This time around I had a relaxing afternoon and evening of lounging by the pool, shopping, eating, movie watching and sleeping. Oh so much sleeping. It was bliss. And in the morning—at 9ish instead of 5ish—I was greeted by my three favorite boys in the world, breakfast and coffee. We had a picnic in the room, went swimming in the hotel pool, jumped on the appropriately named Heavenly bed and danced to the Taylor Swift station on Pandora. Perfect.
But, believe it or not, that wasn’t the best gift I got for Mother’s Day. (Though I give my husband a great deal of the credit for this one too.) That same week I had two people tell me what a delightful boy Big is. And neither of them were his grandparents! One was the mom of a new friend he’s been playing with. She was commenting on how much her son was enjoying spending time with Big and as an aside said, “And he’s such a sweet boy!” The day before that his preschool teacher said she wished all the boys could be like Big. And the day her mom came to help in the classroom, she fell in love with him. Wow.
As his mom, it’s easy for me to think my kid is flawless. Then again, there are days it’s easy for me to think my kid is a wreck (which I conveniently blame on the fact that he doesn’t nap anymore). And the reality probably lies somewhere in the middle. No kid is perfect. But the fact that other adults think he’s sweet when he goes out into the world, makes me think I must have done something right—maybe even a few things—as his mom.
Use Your Words