There comes a time in every mother’s life when they realize that their child is growing up.? For those of us that missed out on 2 or so years of childhood that moment comes quicker than expected.? You could find yourself reduced to tears the moment you pack up the last bit of the size 12 month clothing.? Watching your child wave good bye as they trot off to preschool for the first day could leave you with that knife through the heart sensation that only a mother could loathe.? For me it’s my name.
We opted for Mama and Daddy.? Papa was taken by the trusty husband’s dad before the boy ever came into being so by default Derek was Daddy.? I had the luxury of picking my mom name.? I wanted Mama.? Partly because Mama is Russian and partly because everyone else is Mommy.? See how non-conforming I am.? Of course the boy uses Mama and Mommy interchangeably (is that even a word?).
Imagine my surprise the other morning when the trusty husband gets the boy out of bed and puts him in bed with me.? Ok, that’s not the surprise, that happens every day.? But on that day I woke up to the boy touching my face saying, “hey mom.”? NOOOO!? Not Mom! Anything but Mom!? I want to be Mama or Mommy.? I want you to stay a little baby.? You can’t grow up.? Not yet.
Okay i’m still working on getting some semblance of a mother moniker – I think when he goes ‘muhmuhmuhmuhmuh” that might be him calling me. Or not.
But I can totally see freaking out when he calls you “mom”. It’s always those little things that get you the most.
It could have been worse………….
I’m with you on this one, 110 percent, and then some …
I am “Mamma” and nothing else, so imagined how horrified I was when little blondie called me ‘mommy’ after spending a week with grandma. I corrected little blondie for days until she finally started to call me Mamma again.
I have the hey mom now too and at first I liked how it sounded now…I want my momma back…
Dreading it. They say mom but only cause they don’t hook the a at the end. Mama.
I said to C tonight, I am dying to see them as little girls since we aren’t sure what they will look like yet but dreading the whole growing up thing!
Oh hearing “Mom” is just about the worst! I think it’s actually worse than sending them off to preschool for the first time.
if only they could stay little forever….
After Mateo had been attending school for a hwile, he suddenly started calling me, “mom” as well. I secretly hated it as well. I loved, “Mama.” Mostly, like you said, it was just another affirmation that my boy was growing up. Occasionally he’ll bring it out, but these days, it’s mostly, “mom.”
Every year of your life I would say I didn’t want you get any older. At two I said I didn’t want you to change but then came three. Those words were again spoken and so on and so forth. He’s still a baby in all senses of the word and will be for some time to come. Breathe in his innocence now cause they DO grow up fast!
Aww. I think that would make me sad, too.
I love Mama and Papa. Wonder how much longer I’ll be able to enjoy that now that my little tyrant is 2.
Sigh.
I am also Mama….. but Mom has been popping up more and more
wait until you get the ” go sit down Mom” at the playground….. like I am already embarrassing her or something
I try to be “mama.” Just this weekend he’s started calling me something: “MMMaaa!” Guess it’s better to be called something than nothing…like the first time you walk up the bar and the bartender calls you ma’am. That sucks.
Ok, I know it’s completely different, and it was before I had kids, but I once had a 4-year-old call me the c-word. I’m glad nothing like that’s ever came out of any of my children’s mouths … ok, the occasional explicative, but not that one.
In other news, I just packed away and shipped off 5 bags of children’s clothes. Yay, and not-so-yay. My 6-year-old has boy problems … wait til you hear stuff like THAT coming out of their mouths. Of course, the 4-year-old is still sweet in his concepts and says he’s going to marry his best friend. (A boy.) Which, if true, is just fine … but I think at the moment it’s in the realm of “I’m going to marry mommy” and such. So it’s funny.
Good luck over there “mama” … though I have to admit, I feel like I’m one of the weird moms who never settled on a preferred name, I’ve always been interchangeable mom/momma/mommy etc. The hubbie wanted to be “papa” at first, and only recently did his children comply, and it was a surprise — long after trying. The eldest whipped it out suddenly and has stuck with it. Weird …
Aww, I remember that day with Lidia very clearly!! I get “hey mom” a lot now, but Mama still sneaks in too… It is so sad, such a symbol of them getting older… It’s so strange how it makes you stop in your tracks that first time!
I’m completely with you on the mom thing. I don’t want to be mom. I know D will outgrow Mommy one day, but then I’ll move to Mama. Only thing worse to me would be “mottttthhhhhherrrrrrr”. Oh, rue the day that happens!