My Mommy Quirks

My youngest child has a birthday this week.  He’ll be six years old.

To mark this occasion, and the fact that there are no more babies in the house (sigh...sniffle), I’ve decided it's time to eliminate some of my mommy quirks.  My oldest is now fifteen years old, so I’ve had a few years to build up these habits.  They won't be easy to break.

1.       I will no longer go to the potty, nor will I ask one of my children if they need to go potty.  I will go to the restroom, or I will go to the bathroom.  I once heard a woman tell a friend at work that she needed to take a potty break.  Her children were grown and married.  There comes a point...

2.       I will no longer refer to myself in the third person.  “Mommy is tired.”  “Mommy went to the store today.”  “Mommy is hungry.”  All of my children are now fully capable of understanding pronouns.  I don’t do it all the time, but I find myself slip into it sometimes with the younger two.  I'm instantly reminded of this episode of Seinfeld.

3.       I will no longer finish off what’s left on my children’s plates.  That one chicken nugget will not feel left out.  The fries in the bottom of the Happy Meal box are cold anyway.  The crust from their pizza can be tossed.  Yeah, I know.  Pathetic.  And another reason I run.

And for the change I’m most resistant to…

4.        I will try to let go of the word “mommy.”  With such a wide range of ages between my children, it’s hard to be “mom” and “mommy.”  So I resign myself to just be “mom” now.

It's all part of growing up.