Hey Mom!

From the time they’re born, our kids demand our attention in all sorts of ways: crying, yelling, throwing up, smiling, etc.  Calls of “hey Mom” and “Mom look!” and “watch this mom!” and “Mom make him stop/where’s my blue shirt?/can I have $20” and “mom what’s the square root of 2,452?” and “How do you spell chameleon?” echo in our heads throughout their growing up. When moms talk to the kids though, it’s in one ear and out the other; it’s as if we’re talking to ourselves half the time. We repeat ourselves endlessly, we get eyes rolled at us if we initiate conversation at the wrong time, but we are still there , on standby, ready for that “Mom I need you!”  

Does it stop when they move away? Nope. They call. At all hours, with no respect to time zones or sleep schedules. Moms of course answer, because we are, after all, moms, and we are always waiting for that  “mom I need you come quick!” call, worried about their safety. They could be bleeding and need a blood transfusion. Or a kidney. Or help with their taxes. We are crazy that way. They call about a rash, a plant, advice on boiling water, how to get cat pee out of a sofa, and “what’s my blood type?” Our kids call us, text us, FaceBook message us, video-chat with us, and if we don’t pick up, they reach out via another method or call Dad and ask “where’s mom?”  We are on call 24/7. It’s our job. For life. But when Mom calls or texts or wants to chat with her children, there’s only a 12.3472% chance she’ll get an answer; the rest of the time, she is put in a queue or gets “”ttyl.” Or forgotten. 

Like I said, it’s lonely up here. Which is why moms talk to themselves a lot. Sometimes we’re the only person we have to talk to. Except Siri. At least Siri answers us.