By Christine
Remember the '80s band Tears for Fears? Well, it is my theme band this week. A mother's love is filled with great intentions, effort, desire, and forthrightness. Oftentimes, however, we end up slamming against the wall at the last moment.
My five-year-old daughter has a will of steel. "It will serve her well," people tell me. In the meantime, all I can see are years of toil and effort to make her into a person of character and compassion.
Perhaps I expect too much from my little one. She understands the "true" meaning of Christmas, but that doesn't stop her from whining for every toy she sees in the catalogues she picks up in her travels. We recently put together a shoebox of goodies for a child we do not know. It was my way of showing my daughter how to give back to someone who has nothing.
These concepts are abstract, and I know she will understand one day. One minute she is pushing my buttons and rattling my cage, the next she is bopping along happily with her brother proclaiming her undying love for him.
This is the roller coaster ride of motherhood that my mother tried to reveal to me long ago. I am listening, Mom. I hear you now.
Comments