Dear Son,
I know better than to expect a handmade card from you this year. Or a necklace made out of macaroni noodles or a stone painted with the words, “Mom, you rock!” After all, you are in high school.
I will always treasure those cards and gifts from when you were younger, but what I wish for on Mother’s Day now that you are a teen has changed.
So, as you roll out of bed, probably forgetting about my special day even though your dad reminded you at least once, let me share what I want for Mother’s Day.
These are the gifts that would mean the world to me this Mother’s Day:
That I may always have a full pack of gum from which you can mooch.
That my front seat continues to be a welcoming place for you to sit and chat with me, with plenty of legroom as you keep growing.
That we always bond over our cat, talking to her in baby voices and cracking each other up. (You could step it up in the litter box cleaning department, though.)
That you will always want to tell me about who you eat lunch with at school.
That I can help you with your Language Arts homework when you ask because you know it was my strongest subject and it’s not yours.
That I always have enough snacks for you in the pantry, and that I remember to buy two pounds of meat, instead of one, for recipes. You definitely have a bigger appetite these days.
That I can encourage you to be your best in whatever role your coach feels is right for you, forgetting about playing time and focusing on teamwork and skill development.
That I relax about how much you enjoy Fortnite and other video games, savoring the time you are in my house and under my roof even as you scamper through a virtual world.
That I continue to bring you a bowl of cereal in the morning as you fall back asleep on the couch before school. It’s a little thing you could do for yourself, but I don’t mind.
That it will continue to be easy between you and me when I tease you about those girls you message on Snapchat.
That I have the agility to dodge the laundry you leave on your bedroom floor and the patience to teach you – again – how to fold clothes and put them away.
Okay, I see your face. You are wondering how you can wrap any of these “gifts” or if I’m serious about them at all.
Please know that I am.
But don’t worry about getting me everything. The truth is that I’ve already received the greatest gift this Mother’s Day: The gift to be your mom, especially during these teen years.
Stop making that face. I’m serious.
And yes, you can have a piece of gum. It’s in my purse.
You know where.
Love,
Mom
This post originally appeared on Your Teen.
Thank you for sharing. I have two boys 16 and 17. I will be writing down the little things that matter. And I had to laugh when you talked about buying more meat! Need 2 lbs of ground beef to make spaghetti now. God bless you.
Thanks for your lovely comment. You have two teen boys! That’s a lot of food. You know, my grandma read this post and told me it brought her back to 50 years ago when my uncle was a teen. It is the little things that are special every day now, that you may forget. I’m glad I was able to write some of these down for me, my grandma, for all moms of teen boys!
This is lovely. Happy Mother’s day my friend.