Traits from Mama

When I was growing up I used to think “I’ll never be like my parents!” I remember watching them and thinking they were lame, and that they didn’t know anything, they never let me do anything and I was always grounded for having bad grades. The constant motto in my house was “Heather, if you only applied yourself!” I couldn’t wait to prove them wrong, and show them, and have my own daughter and let her do whatever she wants and I swore that I would never take on their traits. Well, I was wrong! First of all, now that I have my own daughter, I know why they never let me do anything!!! And secondly, I’m not sure why, but lately, more and more I’ve been noticing how much I am like my mother! I think it’s all the conversations I’ve had with The Guitar Hero. He asks me lots of questions that make me think about myself, and how I got to be the person I am today. My mom always wants to know the whole story. She will ask a million questions to get to the bottom of it. I am the same way, but I never realized how much I am like her in this way. I only recently noticed it because she was asking questions about The Guitar Hero, like “have you met his kids” “where does he live” “how are things in his life” “when will ‘certain’ things happen” and I’m like SHEESH, what’s with the 20 questions lady, I’m not ready to answer all of these questions, and the answers could be changing at any given second so I don’t want to commit to an answer, and then have it change! Last night, The Guitar Hero was over, and I started asking him questions, and he said “man, you don’t let me get away with anything do you?” Then I started thinking about my mom, and how she passed on that trait to me. Since I’ve been so in tune with my mother and the things she has passed to me, it’s been on my mind A LOT. Last night I was cooking dinner, and I was standing at the stove with my hand on my hip. I thought “OH CRAP!” my mom does that!!!! SHOOT! It’s happening!!! I’m becoming HER! Don’t get me wrong, my mom is an AWESOME lady! She is smart, beautiful, funny, generous, loving, caring and all around awesome! I should be so lucky to be just like her! BUT! You know, when I was a kid, I swore I never would! My plans are backfiring. I’m now striving to be like my parents, when before, I was doing everything I could to not be like them.

My mom LOVES the holidays; she has specific ones that she goes nuts for! Christmas and Easter. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because a fictional character comes to visit you in the night. That’s kinda creepy Mom… But, it’s true! Santa Clause and the Easter bunny BOTH come in the middle of the night and leave presents and then disappear into the fog, or something like that. It must be that magic of these two holidays that she loves so much. A few weeks ago she asked Mac what she wanted the Easter Bunny to bring her. So, for weeks now, my child has been asking about the Easter Bunny and wants to go see him. Thanks mom! That’s one the things that I love about my mom so much! That she cares about holidays, and family, and traditions and she keeps them going! Her dad, My Grandpa Sam was that way too! He kept our family together until he died, and everyone sort of went in their own direction. Now that I have a child, I get very choked up thinking about holidays and seeing Mac’s face light up when she wakes up to see what Santa or the Easter Bunny brought for her. It’s magic like that that we need!! It’s magic like that that keeps us together, and keeps tradition alive, and reminds us that the most important thing is family and each other. See, another trait that she has passed to me, without me even knowing about it! I’m so grateful for my mom, and for the lessons she has taught me, and for all of the beatings I received (not really!), and the summers spent on restriction. I don’t look one bit like my mother, and in fact she is so young, that we used to be mistaken for sisters (right mom). She has light hair, I have dark hair, we have different facial features, different skin tones, different body types, but on the inside, in my heart, and in my mind, and in the inner being of who I am, it all comes from her, and I’m proud of that! I am who I am today because of that lady and her never giving up on me, and always pushing me to be better and for having me at only 20 years old, and giving me the best life I could have had! She sacrificed a lot! A LOT, her “young fun years” and she NEVER EVER once acted like she missed it, she is the best mom! ALWAYS THERE for me and my brother! No matter what we needed, we had it! So, THANKS Mom! You are the best! I love you so much! Thank you for life, and for everything else!