Hey Mom,
You became a mother a day shy of 35 years ago. You became a grandmother nearly five years ago. You are reliably great in both roles.
Your grandkids are having a “sleepover night at Nana and Grandpa’s” tonight so that I can go on a date the night before my birthday and actually sleep in tomorrow. Then you’re hosting a big family dinner on my birthday, where you’ll make the same meal I’ve requested every.single.year since I turned eight or so. My kids will be happily exhausted because you and my stepdad will have taken them ice skating or snowmobiling or sledding. And I will just be happy.
Sometimes you randomly pick the kids up from school, bring them home (with dinner), bathe them, read them more than 10 books because they ask and tuck them in. All this when the temperature outside is below zero. Then, I get to cuddle up to you under a quilt, which you, of course, made and gifted us, on my couch and chat. Because that’s what we do.
You’re the kind of Nana who I don’t wonder for one second how my kids are when they’re with you. I don’t have to tell you any routines. I don’t even have to bring any clothes over because you’ve got it covered. All of it. And those two grandbabies just love you.
My little family is deeply thankful for you. I couldn’t even begin to list ALL the reasons why (ahem moving to Boston for a few months to help with our newborn!), but it mostly comes down to – you get us. You know what we need and how to help, sometimes before we do, and then you actually do help. You feed us, oh my do you feed us. You love us, each one of the four of us, in the ways we need love.
We’ve had a few bumps in our road, a crash or two, but you are the perfect mom for me. You’ve shown me that you don’t have to be a perfect mom to raise a perfect child. Oh no, wait! What you’ve actually shown me is that you don’t have to be a perfect mom to be loved unconditionally, to be happy and to be the right mom for your kid, because I feel all of those for you. The gift of imperfection is invaluable in its honesty and its realness. And if there’s one thing we’ve been good at all these years – it is realness.
You have shown me what it means to be a present, understanding, compassionate and creative mom my whole life. There are countless times when I have thought, now that I’m a mother too, “What would my mom do?” and proceeded based on the answer. I’ll owe any Nana skills I might possess, should I become one someday, to you and your example with my kids.
Even at *gasp* 35 years old, you continue to make the world a less scary place for me when it rears it’s sometimes ugly monster head. You make life better for my little family.
You teach me, you inspire me, you love me. Thank you.
L.A.
(Love, Annie)
