Okay, that is a blatant lie. I talk to her about 75 times a day. Despite being a grown, married woman who is completely independent of her parents, I talk to my mom quite often. This is partially due to the fact that she has a wealth of knowledge—on parenting, relationships, life in general—and partially because I just enjoy her company.
Sometimes, in the middle of cooking a new dish, I realize that I do not understand something in the recipe. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Peaks? What are peaks? While Alexa or Google would take way too long to give a concise answer (we are on a time crunch here; the pie is in the oven!) one quick call to my mom and dinner is saved!
I remember when my son was a newborn and—sorry, this is not the part about the precious time when my baby would gaze lovingly into my eyes while I rocked him–he would scream hysterically between the hours of 7-10pm almost every night. After several failed attempts to soothe him, I called my mom. When my son had a random rash, we sent pictures to my mom to get her take on it. Having raised four kids of her own, she has lived through plenty of potty training tricks, toddler tantrums, and teenage throw downs. We will definitely keep her on speed dial until my son is well past the age of 18.
Sometimes I just need to vent. Now, the person on the receiving end of said venting must meet many requirements: first, they must not try to fix the problem about which I am venting (I’m looking at you, Dear Husband!) Second, they must not judge me for the aforementioned venting. Yes, I have a very blessed life. However, I still need to vent sometimes! Whether she wanted the position or not, my mother meets the requirements for this job and has maintained the position for the last 31 years of my life. Let’s just hope she isn’t retiring any time soon.
Do you ever watch a show and think “No, she didn’t!” or “OMG, did they really end it THERE?” In comes…you guessed it, Mom! We do have a code of ethics here, though: you cannot discuss a show/movie unless both parties have already watched it. No spoilers here! Our husbands must hear us on the phone and wonder, “Who are Lisa, Kyle, and Erika Jayne? You don’t have any friends with those names!”
I am not the only person in my house who has a deep connection to my mom. My 2-year-old son is pretty fond, some might even say obsessed, with “Giggle.” I must take the time here to mention that my mother is not a retired clown; my son simply couldn’t say “Grandma.” So, my son asks—no, tells– me every day, “I call Giggle.” He actually associates the FaceTime call sound with my mom. If anyone else is FaceTiming us, I have to apologize for him excitedly answering the call, “GIGGLE?!” followed by a disappointed, “Oh, it’s just you,” look.
Now, if you would have told my fifteen-year-old self that one day I would talk to my mom several times a day by choice, and hang out with her for fun, forget it! Back then I would have more quickly believed that one day we would order our groceries online and get them in two days! After all, she was just my mom back then; the person who kept me from going to parties and took away my Nokia phone when I did not listen to her. Let’s face it—when I was 15, I thought she was a tyrant who just lived to tell me, “No!” Now, as a 31-year-old who talks to her mom (several times) daily, I can honestly say that she is one of my closest friends…and I am not ashamed of that!
About Madison Stilson
I have a toddler, Matthew, and an extremely patient and selfless husband, Joe. I was a teacher for several years and am now home with my favorite student – my son (I’ve been told that it is okay to have a favorite student in situations like this!). I have a passion for writing, which has been very therapeutic for me in the past when dealing with tough situations from being chronically ill. I love to tell narratives and to make people laugh, and I get to do both through my writing.
