A Mysterious Relationship

The relationship between a mother and her child is so mysterious. Life starts within the mother...she nourishes the fetus...her body is used as an incubator, so the baby can grow. The baby is totally dependant on it's mother...although not born, a bond develops...one that can never be broken. At birth the mother gives the gift of life...through the pain and tears, be brings her beautiful child into the world...It is love at first sight.

The infant needs now depends on their mother for everything. The infant knows how her mother sounds, smells, smiles. There is no one that can calm or soothe better than the mother. They need each other, they are inseparable.

The toddler holds its' mother's hand as it takes the first steps. The child looks for their mother in every crowd. The mother is the central focal point of the toddler's life. When she leaves, the child cries.... When she returns the smile is as big as it can be.

Than the school years begin...the child is full of curiosity and wonder....the mother answers a thousand questions a day....she is without a doubt the overflowing river of information the child seeks...even if she makes up the answer, the child believes it...mom's never wrong. When they are dropped off at school there is the hug, the I'll miss yous and for a few moments the tears well in both their eyes.

At thirteen mom knows nothing....school can't come soon enough....friends are the "Holy Grail" and they demand to be dropped off at the corner instead of in front of school. There is seldom a hug, for rolled eyes replace them. There is seldom a communication, for the child is too busy on the phone. The child no longer needs a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on....They are GROWN....They know EVERYTHING!

At eighteen that bratty teenager flies the coop and heads off to college. The mother deals with the sadness of empty nest, the young adult takes great pride in their new found independence. Mom is great again because she is hundreds of miles away....she sends cards.....she calls....she sends money...she is missed at some level.

Then the child marries and decides to start their own family...Suddenly mom is a friend, a confidant. She knows things again...like coming out of a comma. Strange, the adult child finds her words filled with wisdom once again. There are smiles and hugs shared....For the very first time the child realizes how difficult parenting is and how wonderfully patient their mother was. The mother, with a knowing smirk on her face, is there as always offering advice, love and support. It's a rebirth of the bond that once was.

And just as the child begins to think of their mother as a human...an amazing role model....an irreplaceable friend, she decides to retire and move to Florida. The years pass and now the child is the "dreaded mother"... and the circle of life continues.

Absolutely crazy and yet the story of our lives!