Forever Mom
By lovesfreedom
@lovesfreedom (1245)
United States
February 21, 2007 10:45pm CST
As I have watched my younger friends raise their children, I sometimes have to stop and smile when I hear them say, "oh I will be so glad when they get older". It brings back a time when I remember thinking how much easier it would be if they could do this or that for themselves. Each year brought new experiences and new trials and that wish for them to be able to do more. Then suddenly something happened, my girls were older, they had moved on to make lives for themselves and I in my wisdom began to wish they were little again. The nightly bubble baths, peanut butter and jelly kisses and simple pictures drawn with so much love I thought my heart would just burst.
This brought me to thinking, do we ever quit being mom? Are our children ever old enough not to be consdiered our babies? My answer came in a memory of my own mother and my oldest sister. My sister passed away in 1989 of breast cancer. We waited for my mother to get to the hospital and when she did, I made sure I was at the door to meet her. I will never forget the woeful look in her eyes and the cry from her heart of hearts. Her words bring me to the absolute conclusion that they are always our babies. She grabbed me and cried, "My baby, my baby, children do not die before thier mother!" It was heartbreaking. I watched as she approached my sister and softly caressed her cheek. She did not see her 38 year old daughter there, I believe with all of my heart that she saw her first born infant child, her baby.
A few years later, it was my turn to see a sight that convinces me that they are still my babies. On 2 different occasions, I had dropped my girls off at college and it was time for me to go. I turned to wave at them and I did not see the young ladies they had become. I saw a little girl, 2 years old, standing in a sundress waving back at me. I cried all the way home as memories flooded my heart.
The years have come and gone. They are adults, married and happy in their lives. But, when they are troubled or just need a shoulder, I am the one they call and I answer gladly. They are my heart and soul, my babies always and I am forever mom. That is a beautiful thing.
7 people like this
11 responses
@HandKH4602 (326)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Your post brought tears to my eyes. I'm a young mom (22) with a 14 month old son. I have several friends my age with kids and I can't believe how many say "My names not mom". My son can't say a whole lot, but I look forward to having my pant leg tugged and the constant 'mom, mom, mom, mom, mom....' One day I will send my children to college and I'll remember what you wrote and I'll smile and cry and know that I too am a forever mom. Thank you for posting something so great, with such great meaning. Way to go to the Forever Moms! :)
@beaniegdi (1964)
•
22 Feb 07
I cried when I read your post, I would hate to lose a child and I would also hate to lose a sister. Our children are always our babies even when they are grown. My sons are 22 and 19 and although others see them as grown men to me they are my little lambs.
I remember coming to a point when I thought I had nothing really good to look forward to, like when you are young you look forward to marriage, your own home, children. Luckily I read something one day that triggered something in me and realised that I had grandchildren to look forward to. (Not soon though hopefully).
2 people like this
@lovesfreedom (1245)
• United States
22 Feb 07
Thank You to everyone. It does my heart good to see the flow of love we have for our children. To know that they will always have that love until the end of time is such a great gift!
1 person likes this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
22 Feb 07
Ok I have to tell you that you made me cry reading this . I am really sorry to hear about your sister .
I have never said when they get older as I hate that my children are getting older . All my friends laugh at me because I say I am going to continue to have babies until one of my daughters can take over for me and bring me home grandbabies . I love having little one's around my house and was lost when they told me I couldn't have anymore (they were wrong and I now have two more babies but it took eight and a half long years ).
My cousin has always laughed at me because I have always talked about how I dread the day my children graduate from school as my babies will be grown and have said this since she was first born . And now that I have older children and younger children , I see too much of how fast the time really does go by . But know matter how old they get and no matter how far away they move (which I have already told them they can't go far lol ) they will always and forever be my babies that I held and rocked every night , that I chased away the bad dreams and held them when they were sick or scared , I am the one to be there for all their firsts in life and nothing can ever take that away .
Forever they are my babies that mean more then the world to me .
2 people like this
@lovesfreedom (1245)
• United States
22 Feb 07
You sound like a wonderful mother! I want grandkids so bad. I miss those tiny hands and the smell of baby powder.
1 person likes this
@icequeen (2840)
• Canada
22 Feb 07
You are so right. My son is also growing fast. He is now a teenager and I see the changes in him all the time. I do tell him that I will always be there for him and I will always be his mother..but I feel him pulling away sometimes. I wish he was still a baby ..but I know that is not realistic. He has to grow and mature and eventually start his own life. He is already talking about his own place...eeekk...I know if he ever leaves home I will be so sad...I just look forward to grandchildren...lol...
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
22 Feb 07
Yes you are right to us our Kids will always be our Babies and that will never change. I have been thinking back to the years to when they where little and the Things that brought me so much Joy, brought a happy smile to my Face and still does now. I have just moved away and they stayed in the House but I am always here for them and always will be. My Kids are my World. And I do wish back to the time when they where little at times. I miss it lol.
@charms88 (7538)
• Philippines
22 Feb 07
You posted a beautiful story here. I think all mothers will forever be like this. No matter if our own children have their own families, they will always be our babies. Everyday, as I look at my daughters, I can't believe just how fast the time past through us. Its like yesterday, I just gave birth to them. Now both are grade schoolers. I guess you can call me sentimentalist. I cried when my eldest got her first tooth. I cried when the doctor needed to insert a needle to check her blood. I can't stop worrying about them. Its like my feelings for them are always to the extreme. I want to continue protecting them for as long as I can no matter how many white hairs I will have soon.
2 people like this
@Michele21 (3093)
• United States
22 Feb 07
You are going to make me cry!! Mine are still little, 6 & 2 and I am already having a hard time with them growing up!!! I want them to stay little and tell my daughter all the time that she needs to stop growing because I don't like it!! She tells me she isn't a baby anymore and I tell she will always be my baby no matter how big she gets!!
2 people like this
@_hope_ (3902)
• Australia
23 Feb 07
I remember back to when my children were litle we had so much fun and yes i did the same ofen wished that they would hurry up and grow up .I had five children so have had them of varing ages for the past 25yrs .i still wish some of them would grow up as i`m hoping my life will become a bit easier after what i have gone through especially after the past 18yrs .I do not want to turn back the clock but do have the wonderful memories we all shared .with each child ,the tears ,the funny things and the naughty things they have gone through and to this day they still continue .Only last wek we were in stitches of laughter as my 18yr old thought my pet chicken of two weeks had been done away with while i was away but in catual fact my oldest daughter of 23 had arranged for her to take her to her work to spend the day with a group of tiny tots . Well my 18yr old bought a chicken from my daughter one that was much the same colour as mine (litle did she know she had actually bought my chichen off her as a replacemtnt )(my 18yr old tells so many lies this time the laugh was on her)
The joys of having children are definately wonderful indeed
1 person likes this
@lovesfreedom (1245)
• United States
24 Feb 07
I have read and re-read all of the responses looking for one to mark as best response. I am finding it hard because they are all such great responses. Our kids are our future and to hear your words about how much you love yours is fantastic!
@payingforschool (678)
• Canada
23 Feb 07
That is so true. I know my boys are still really young, they are 7 and 8, but they have already grown up so much. I often watch them when they are asleep and see their little infant faces shining through their big boy faces. I can't imagine what it will be like when they are adults. Everything happens so fast, and sometimes it's hard and we wish they would just grow up and be easier. But then they do, and we wonder why we ever wished it would happen faster. I miss every stage of my boys' growth, and wish I had a time machine and could go back and visit whenever I wanted to.
@trinidadvelasco (11401)
• Philippines
22 Feb 07
Yes, I agree with you that our kids will always be our babies. We always want to protect them and keep them from harm no matter what their ages are. When we say we cannot wait to see them get older, we just simply mean that they are at their troublesome stage and we wish they'd grow over it soon enough. But we will always treasure all those moments we've spent with them until our last breath. Yes, we always expect they will outlive us and it shall be their duty to make sure we pass away first. But this is not always the case...
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
22 Feb 07
That was very elequent. :-)
My DS is only 14 months old, and I dream of how he will be as he gets older, but I also look back fondly at how little he was. I always try to stop and enjoy him in the moment. I have 2 stepkids 12 & 15, and while I know the feeling is different because they aren't mine, I don't imagine ever not being a major part of their lives. I think I'll always think of myself as mom. :-)
2 people like this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
23 Feb 07
It is indeed a beautiful thing.
I confess I was never one of the people that wished for their kids to grow faster, I was too busy enjoying each stage, although now that my daughter is 16 there have been days LOL
I'm with you 100% my kids will always be my babies, no matter how old they are. I recognize their growing up, I'm happy they are, I acknowledge their accomplishments, and encourage them to be independent and able to rely on themselves... but they will still always be my babies:)
1 person likes this
