The yells of the children wake me in the early morning. I roll out of bed, looking for my glasses and wondering if they were killing each other or they were playing a video game. Walking down the stairs to start the coffee pot, the first words I hear are Mom.
"Mom what's for breakfast?"
"Mom what are we doing today?"
As I tell them what the plan of action for the day is, I wonder if anyone will use my name today. I never hear my name anymore. From the kids I hear, mom, mamma, mommy, or mother. If I talk to my husband any of time that day, I hear babe, hun, and sexy. Sure hearing sexy should perk me up but sometimes it would be nice to hear my name out of my husband's mouth once in a while.
My day progresses as I become a mediator, umpire, judge, jury and exicutioner of punisments but my name stays the same. Mom. Why mom? Do I have to mom? Why can't he/she do it mom?
The phone rings and my spirits lift! Someone who is going to say my name. Then I get that one song in my head: "Say my name say my name!" And I do a lil be bop to the phone. "Hello! Is Niomi there?" My spirits drop once again as I inform the caller for what seems the millionth time that she got the wrong number.
Again the phone rings, I don't rush towards it like I did before. "Is this so and so's mom? This is such and such's mom and we were wondering if so and so would like to go swimming with such and such. This so and so's mom will have so and so and such and such back at this time after she drops off her so and so to such and such's mom's place for such and such's mom to pick them up." I say ya or nay all the while telling the kids to be quite while I am on the phone. I hear a Yay do what mom says ya big boogie head!
The day progresses into evening as the Sun starts to set and the Moon starts to come out. Mamma I love you, can I have a hug. Sure baby. Mommy you can't hug him/her with out giving me a hug!. Okay baby come give me some sugar. After showers or baths and a few choice words about going to bed. Mom can you read to me or mom can I stay up and read.
Then I sit down and realize I like my name. It is a good name. Millions of women share my name sure but the majority of us wear it with pride and confidence even if we are a bit scared of it or feel we have lost who we once were. The magic of our name is we keep it through out our lives and sooner or later, hopefully later, we become grandmoms and great grandmoms.
So I would like to officially introduce myself to you and to others like you.
Hi. My name is Mom.
auto
