Becoming Mum

The day I found out I was pregnant filled me with equal parts of joy and fear. I was living 15,000kms away from my momma and even though I had the best mother-in-law in the world, I wanted my momma close so I could ask her questions and get her advice (even if I did ignore it 90% of the time). But these were the days before email, FB, IG and Twitter.

There is something about mums. Their place in our hearts can never be replaced or filled. Looking back I giggle at memories of my momma & the things she would say to us kids. You have to imagine this is Texas. She was a young mum. And let’s face it, there was four of us & we were bad kids!

We knew we were safe, we weren’t abused by her, but these phrases got the desired effect, our compliance. Here’s a little of Momma Joyce’s pearls to make you smile:

“I brought you into this world, I’ll take you out and make another one just like you.”

“Keep talking and you’ll leave with a limp.”

“I’m gonna break your arm off and beat you with it.”

Or my all-time favourite used on us when were teens and would say to her ‘How you gonna stop me?’, she would just say “Go ahead. I’ll tell you what, you got sleep sometime, and when you do, I’ll be there.”

She used her quick wit to get us to listen. We knew she would never hurt us. We knew that she loved us, and she would be there for us when we needed her. Right up until the day she died, she was trying to help us learn to live without her.

The person I am today is the sum of my life experiences and my ability & desire to learn from those experiences. Learning from my momma and my mother-in-law, trying to be the best mum I can, and making my own mistakes along the way. My daughter will do the same, I imagine. Because that’s what mums do. We leave a legacy strength, hope and laughter for our families. Here’s to us! Mum’s of all kinds, We Rock!