Day 363: Crazy Momma Syndrome

Do you know of a person, that is super nice, always sweet, shows up for everything to be supportive whether you're family, significant other or one of her 16, yes 16 best friends!? What you thought I was going to say that's me, IT'S NOT ME BOO-BOO!! But I know at least 3 people like that in my life and you best bet that they are all reading my blog now to be supportive. Thanks guys! They must have had a kind momma. 

Cue my momma wrinkling up her nose up at my comment from 4 hours away. Now I'm not in any inkling of a way knocking my momma or her personality, how I  was raised and her unconditional love for me. I definitely look up to her and think she is amazing and want to be like her in a lot of aspects of her life. Heck my first two jobs in life (Dairy Queen and grocery store) were the same as hers, because I wanted to be her.

Where did this thought come from? Slightly expressive conversation with my boyfriend where I revealed that he was um...well...coddled quite a bit more than me and that I didn't realize that men got treated so well. To be fair, I don't know a lot about how boys are raised. I had no other boy cousins (13 girls! on my side and the other side everyone was an adult by the time I figured out what was what) and my brother was raised like me (it didn't work the same for him though). So maybe all boys are like him. He has this uncanny thought that everyone is willing to help him if he can't do it himself within 5 minutes, and truthfully he's right there are people that jump to help him. Well, except me. Then he begins with examples: "Remember that time my car broke down and you didn't want to come pick me up?" Uh yes, I told you not to go out in the first place because the car was acting funny, I was right. AND you were in the city! Take the metro home! (PS I was asleep when he called because he went out, so I was grouchy.) The point of my whole rant (ok it wasn't a just conversation) was exhaust all opportunities before using family or significant other. Everything is not always that easy. If I need a ride home from school and I called my momma she would first say, "there are buses, there are people headed this way from your school, and there is nothing I can do about it." It worked for me...I found my own way home. (btw this was in 4th grade when I wanted to take an acclerated learning program across town and no one could pick me up....I hitched a ride. They thought I was crazy for being 8 and not having to ask my parents who I can ride home with but it worked)

 I learned at 7 years old how to do every single percentage in my head because my momma taught me while at JcPenneys during a 40 to 80% off sale. I still remember being 8 years old my mom told me that I needed to learn how to wash clothes in case something happened to her. (I cried into the washing machine thinking that she was dying from some mysterious disease). In junior high school sometime during my second year (we had that instead of middle school in West Virginia), I asked her to pick me up from school early one day, and she couldn't find the school. She had never been before, turned around and went home. She taught me independence and not to be reliant on material objects by doing things like not picking me up after I learned to walk well* and not giving me very many stuffed animals when I was young**. And you know what? It worked....I know what kind of jobs I want in life, how to do my own laundry, how to rely no one, always find my own way home, and don't have overflowing closets full of stuff just for the sake of having stuff. I LOVE THAT WOMAN FOR MAKING ME WHO I AM.

Now back to the conversation, what my momma did would not work for everyone (Boyfriend at this age) but I will continue trying to slip tough love into our relationship. It helps him grow I think. WINK.

*In her defense she had a brand new baby girl to hold and 5 year old boy that liked to run. I was the only one who would quietly stand beside her.
**For some reason not 18 months later, she changed her attitude my sister had like 96 barbies. I had 6. Three of them belonged to her and I could play with them.