My Moms

I have my mom,

-She is wild and fun and generous. 

Why, just last weekend I watched, in slight horror, as she karaoked Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf". 

She drives me batty every once in a while because she talks really fast and my mind can't keep up... and then I feel tired.  But on our mother-daughter dates we love to see the latest flick and have a nice, long lunch.

She often forgets that I am now 31 and she likes to preach about what I shouldn't be doing.  Like, she'll talk about the dangers of tanning salons in an accusatory manner, even though I have told her a million times I haven't been in a tanning bed for like, a decade.

And then there are the other moms who have shaped my life.  Are you one of them?

Moms can be aunts, siblings, neighbors and the moms of your friends and boyfriends.  I even have great girl friends who always make me feel well-taken care of.

I've had several moms that I think of often.

My mother-in-law is my mom who always spoils me with girly things. 

My husband is an only-child and his mother always wanted more children, perhaps even a daughter.

And when I go their home in England she always decorates the bedroom with frilly things and flower-adorned baubles.  She keeps vegetarian food stocked in the fridge and buys 'brown' bread for me knowing I'm not a fan of the 'white' like her son.  She knows I have a fondness for hats, and I always have a new hat for my collection when I see my mother-in-law.  She also irons ALL of the family's clothing.  I think it's a bit crazy, but I still admire her hard work around the house.

I have another mom-figure that I haven't seen in a long time, but I still try to emulate her ways.  She would bake the yummiest treats and decorate her house for the holiday in so many clever ways .  She always had those Victoria's Secret lotions in the bathroom so no one ever had an excuse to be scaly or stinky.  She was fun and always a presence of joy and light in my life.  Even though it's been years, I think of her as a mom that shaped who I am and who I want to be.

My best girlfriends, most of whom are stellar moms, always take good care of me.  When I go to Maria's house she always cooks something up.  And even if it's just a flour tortilla with butter, it makes my heart smile like a little kid.  When I stayed the night at her house after my 21st birthday, it was she that brought me a pop-tart in bed to help nurse my awful hangover, perhaps out of guilt for supplying me with lots of celebratory liquor the night prior. (?)

Those are the things I love about my moms.  They make a girl feel loved and well taken care of.