What Does This Say About Me As A Mother?  

Sunday, May 10, 2009

I wanted to post this last week, but last week was crazy. I suppose a Mother post is ok for Mother's Day though, huh?

Last Friday when I got home from work, I got out of the car and looked around. There were dandylions everywhere. My first thought? "Look at all the dandies! Paige will be so excited to pick them!"





Paige spends most Friday nights at Grandma's, and then Grandma takes her to dance class Saturday morning. So Paige didn't see all the dandies that afternoon.

The next day, Saturday, was a "watch day" at Paige's dance school. After watching Paige's class, we were getting ready to leave when the next class was lining up to go in. One of the girls in the line for the next class had a dandylion, and I thought, "that's so cute, she brought that in for the teacher." The teacher oohed and aahed and told the little girl how beautiful it was. Her mother then looked at the teacher and told her, "She tried to give it to me. I told her it was a weed and to throw it away. So she said she was going to give it to you."

Maybe I was experiencing some PMS, but I started to feel very sad about this. Didn't everyone know that when little kids pick dandylions for you, you take them, say how beautiful they are, and when the kids aren't looking, then you toss them? Isn't that just what you do?? Somehow this lady didn't get what I thought was one of the unwritten rules of parenthood.

Later, as Roland and I were out running errands, I asked him, "what does this say about me as a mother?" and told him the story. In response he produced a couple of wilted dandylions from his side of the car and told me Paige had given them to him. To which I said, "that's right! When your child gives them to you, you keep them, and then throw them away later. That's just what you do!"

I find it sad that the mother of that little girl didn't appreciate the thought behind the "weed." But maybe that's just me.



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7 comments: to “ What Does This Say About Me As A Mother?

  • Carolyn R. Parsons
    May 10, 2009 at 9:02 PM  

    Oh..my..that makes me sad for the little girl too..and who gets to decide what is a weed anyway..I grew up in a fishing village and we had no idea they were weeds, folks make wine from them and they had medicinal properties..now they're weeks...go figure

    I put them in a little vase for such purposes. Poor little girl. I thought every mommy knew that too.

    Breeze

  • sunnymama
    May 10, 2009 at 10:59 PM  

    I like weeds :) It is sad that the little girls mother didn't want to accept her gift. I can't relate to that mother really, but I can relate to your being excited for your daughter when you saw all the dandelions she could pick :)

  • Kimberly
    May 10, 2009 at 11:16 PM  

    Beautiful post! I love how children see the world, and try to appreciate it as they do!

  • Christie
    May 10, 2009 at 11:33 PM  

    Is there anything in the world that a child gifted you that you wouldn't take, admire and appreciate? I would think NOT!

  • On the Eastern Journey
    May 11, 2009 at 2:04 AM  

    Isn't the real parenting in the small moments like when a child hands you a flower...or a rock? That's when they feel the attention, the love, the moment.

    What beautiful photos of Paige! Love her hair!

  • Michie
    May 11, 2009 at 7:11 AM  

    Thank you everyone for the beautiful comments. I'm glad I'm not the only one who keeps the dandylions, the rocks, all the little goodies Paige gives me, and I love that she wants to give them to me.

    Paige's hair was curled by Grandma for picture day at dancing school. :)

  • Michelle
    May 17, 2009 at 1:41 AM  

    What does it say about you as a mother? It says that you are a great one. But then again, Paige and I already knew that.

 

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