04/10/2024
As a mother, the needing never stops.
From the moment we open our eyes,
It begins.
The baby needs a bottle and diaper change,
all the kids want pancakes and fruit for breakfast,
they “need” us to help build a Magna-tile castle,
to drive them to school,
and to pick up 50 stuffed animals off the floor to find that “special one” the three-year-old is in tears over.
But this phase of needing is where we can fix everything in their world
with a trip to the ice cream store
hugs, our magical kisses,
or a band-aid.
And it slips away without us noticing.
At first, they put on their pants by themselves,
then soon after the entire outfit,
and then, before we know it, toys are being replaced
with friends, passions, and teams.
The “I need you to play with me,”
will be replaced with grunts, like talking to us has become a chore,
and eventually, they will need us to watch their kids so they can have date nights with their partners.
There will be divorce, mental illness, financial struggles, friend problems,
and a happy meal won’t be able to cure all their pain.
But a mom will be there
as long as her children need her.
It will just be different,
a needing that will require advice, support, and love,
a needing with sometimes no cure.
So as a mother, the needing never stops,
it just changes.