I have lived away from my family now for over 9 years and it’s a bittersweet arrangement. I’m happy to have my independence and I pride myself on how well I’ve adapted to being away from their support. On the other hand I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t wish I could depend on the arm of my mom and my sisters.
I really believe that women need women. We gather strength from the women around us and collectively we make each other stronger. I wish, often, that I had my sisters and mom around so I could gather strength from their feminine wisdom.
On the other hand I find myself preparing for my mother to come help with the kids while I have our last baby and I am surprised by all the little things that feel strange. I have to show my mom where the kids’ pajamas and diapers are because my mom has never been in our new home. I want her to feel completely comfortable in this home that Chuck and I created and I don’t feel certain that will happen because this is her first time here. I wonder about how she’ll sleep and how the kids will behave. I wonder about whether we’ll end up sitting around bored, staring at each other after having run out of things to say.
I’m sure it’s pregnancy hormones that are making me brain mush but I hope that we can enjoy each other in the simple tasks that I do all day. I hope that we can get to the end of the week, after the baby is born and the kids have drained her of Grandma time and we can feel like our feminine strength is renewed and our appreciation of one another is restored.
How nice to have your mom coming out for new baby time. There’s just nothing like the support of other women during this time.