There are some things about motherhood (or fatherhood) that I had no understanding of until I had a kid on my own. I never imagined that going to the bathroom by myself would be a luxury, that “me time” would be doing dishes while daddy does the parenting, and that I would look so forward to that! Now being “part of the pack” I can typically spot another mom from a mile away. Sometimes it’s a mom with year more of experience than I have and I marvel at how she is handling things. Other times it’s a new mom and I have to stop myself from telling her not to waste her money on that baby “essential” that she will most likely never use.
So, how do you spot a mom? Well here are some general things that I look for, and yes, most of these have happened to me:
- She has stickers on her butt.
- She is swaying back and forth while standing in line.
- She is humming.
- She turns around when she hears a kid, any kid, yell “MOM”.
- She exhibits a small yet sympathetic smile when she hears someone else’s kid having a tantrum in public.
- When digging through her purse to find her keys some cheerios fall out. Said purse is huge.
- If someone has made a mess she is the one pulling out Kleenex or baby wipes.
- When gets out of her car you hear Old Macdonald blasting on the stereo, even if there is no kid with her.
- She is sitting, alone, with a smile, at the coffee shop.
- She is the one expertly juggling 8 grocery bags and 3 jugs of milk to the car with no shopping cart.
- She is the one with only one leg shaved.
- She can tell you the names of all of the Wiggles. She may have a crush on one of them.
- She hands you a cheque written in crayon.
- She tells you she’ll be right back after she goes potty.
- She whips out a giant stack of coupons at the checkout.
- You point out she has a stain on her shirt and she just shrugs.
- Emails you receive from her were sent at 3 am.
- The only jewelry she is wearing is bracelet made from a pipe cleaner and Froot Loops.
- If you are speaking too loud she asks you to “please use your inside voice”.
- If you show her this list at least a handful of them will make her nod her head in recognition.
GREAT LIST! These are so true! You missed the throw up and/or soother stuck to her shirt! LOL
yes, I often have stickers on my pants….I cannot stand still while standing in line either….