I spent last Friday morning making pearls out of gum paste, then painting them with pearl white food paint, all sparkly, to put on cupcakes with Tiffany Blue icing for my new niece-in-law’s Bridal Shower (the theme being Breakfast at Tiffany’s). This is what children have done to me! I turned into crafty mom, make from scratch mom, how can I make it more complicated? mom (that last is what my wife thinks).
But in my defense, it’s actually fun, really, having a picture in my head and then trying to make it happen. In these 30 years as a parent, I’ve knit sweaters, hemmed pants, made costumes, fixed rips and tears, made cookies and cakes and crème brulee, cooked thousands of dinners, (often from a limited menu during those times when my children would only eat 2 things), embroidered, crocheted and made collages, helped to paste dioramas and poster board projects, even edited quite a few term papers.
To parent is, after all, a verb. It’s a doing kind of thing, not a thinking kind of thing. Each child wants different stuff (not that much recycling) and the chief preoccupation of my life with kids has been to try my best to foster their happiness. So along the way, I learned how to make tutus for dance class, frame art they brought home to me, create planets to hang around the house (in the correct order) for a treasure hunt birthday party, paint stars on ceilings, make curtains.
What I hope is that my enjoyment of doing those things for them showed, that it contributed to a sense that they are worth some trouble, that they are loved, that I would do anything for them (as long as I thought it was good for them). I hope they know how grateful I am to have been changed by them, and I pray I can continue being affected by who they are and what they touch in me.
This is why I love being their mom!