Mother On, My Friend

Listen: This is the way you mother.

You become pregnant; you give birth; you adopt; you blend families. You become a mother.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You breastfeed, formula feed, organic feed, generic feed. You feed, and they eat.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You sleep train, co-sleep, bed share. You sleep; they sleep; you don’t sleep; they don’t sleep.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You stay at home; you work from home; you work outside the home. You work, no matter how.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You are a single mom, a married mom, a straight mom, a gay mom. You are a mom.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You are a tiger mom; you are a helicopter mom; you are a free-range mom; you are a mom who has found the great balance we all crave. You are all of these moms and none of these moms. You are a mother.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You are loud, quiet, happy, sad, brave, scared. You show emotion, so they learn how to.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You hold; you hug; you say “I love you”; you wipe tears; you wipes noses. You nurture.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You discipline; you use positive reinforcement; you give time-outs; you try to teach them what’s right. You enforce your rules.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You drive to music and art lessons, sports practices and games, scout meetings, recitals. You enrich.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You are young; you are old; you are skinny; you are fat; you are black; you are white. You are a mother.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You laugh, you cry, you yell, you whisper. You’re not perfect, but you try harder every day.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

Your kids are young: They are babies, toddlers, small children. Your kids are older: They are in middle school, high school, college. Your kids aren’t kids at all, but you are always their mother.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

You’re a teacher, a friend, a confidant, a leader. You are a mother.

This is the way you mother. Mother on, my friend.

Listen: This is the way you mother. The truth is: There is no perfect way. Mother on, my friend.