The kind of mom I AM

The quiet was deafening, so I went to Gemma's bed. She slept in until 10am, people... I missed her. 

I opened her door and heard her stir. I tip toed... Her bed is covered with a tent, so I pulled back the sheet and she turned to me. "Gooo mornin!" She whispered. I excitedly hurried to her bed and plopped down. "Gemma! It's morning! I missed you! Good morning!" She giggled and blushed "Good morning momma, I love you!" We had a kiss fight, then hugged. 

I realized early on that Gemma is my morning person. She greets the day with a bang and loves to see the sun come up. I love being a part of her morning. I LOVE getting to sing "GOOD MORNING TO YOUUUUU!" As we walk to breakfast. 

She is a fire cracker full of life... I know she is a world changer, so I know I play an important part in helping her become who she was born to be. It's outside of my comfort zone, but oh how special it feels to brighten her world. 

I'm not the Pinterest mom who oozes sparkles and mod podge. I'm not super Green, I'm not stylish. I am not more or less than _____, those just aren't my gifts. 

What I am is Tab. I make ordinary things special. I mix and match socks, I hand my kids sheets of stickers and clean it up later. We finger paint, and play at the splash pad in our street clothes. I butcher songs and insert my kids' names. I celebrate milestones with cheers and tickle fights, even if all we accomplished was making it to our destination without throwing a fit. 

I bet I'm sounding like a good mom right about now, or maybe I just sound full of myself... But that's because I'm celebrating my strengths. My strengths are gifts to my kids, but so are my weaknesses. My lack organization makes things a little more exciting (funky sock combos). My lack of style means I stress less when my kid throws up on me. Physical touch isn't my primary love language, so the times I feel moved to initiate cuddles, it's special and memorable. I am introverted, that means I am not super great at anticipating Gemma's social needs, but I make our time at home magical because it's "my zone." 

We are all made up of give and take. Strengths and weaknesses. Pros and cons... But we can use all of them to our benefit, because we are each "enough mom" to go around. Our children weren't given to us at random. We were pre selected to raise our families. I don't know about you, but that's both the biggest compliment and the biggest challenge I have ever received, but I accept it either way.