A Musing Mother 6

I like mundane. I like it a lot but I'm never quite certain when I've reached mundane until some event pushes me off kilter and I long for mundane. I wonder how I had reached mundane when I was just in a difficult situation. You know, I'm busy. I'm really still struggling to understand my place at my work even though I can now answer people when they ask, "I'm settling in." I'm struggling with the role of motherhood as one daughter is struggling between spreading her wings and flying off to college and clinging to childhood. Another child is preparing for high school and is uncertain which one to go to and I worry about her a lot. One child is a completely different beast being an adolescent boy who won't talk to us about anything of import but will, at the most random moments, comment that he thinks he may have lost his other nipple. No, wait. There it is. Then my last child just turned 8 and we're preparing for his baptism. Is my life not ful...

Prom is coming and my oldest daughter was asked a couple of days ago. "This is the second date with this boy, isn't it? Make sure he doesn't try to kiss you," I advised. She blushed. "You know, Dad didn't kiss me for two years after we started dating." It was a lie and everybody knew it. They would have been wise to not push it. "Whaddya mean?" my 13 year old son challenged. "You got married within a year of your first date!" "Well," I amended, "he didn't kiss me on our honeymoon. We just had sex." I popped my next bite of dinner into my mouth. I heard a clatter of silverware. Four forks had been dropped on their plates. I little girl scream erupted from my 13 year old son's mouth and he ran out to the garage. My nearly 18 year old daughter blushed bright red. My 15 year old daughter put her face in her hands and muttered, "Why, Mom." "Seriously? Do you not know where you came from?" I d...

Eleven years ago Scott and I were on the verge of divorce. Our differences seemed irreconcilable and insurmountable. I could go into the details but they are unimportant. I loved him but I didn't particularly like him. He wasn't terribly crazy about me, either. He had his reasons for not liking me and I had mine. We were miserable. I recall one night in particular that I spent sobbing into my pillow while praying and laying out all of my excellent arguments  for a divorce. They were really good reasons, I told Him. So what do You say? Don't You agree that we need to be apart? The answer was very clear. I heard no voice, I had no visible sign but I felt the resounding answer.   No. Stay with him. It will be better. So I stuck it out. And he stuck it out. And Heavenly Father was right. It got better. Again, there were no choirs of angels or silver bullets. It took time, patience, and work and it still does but I'm glad I didn't follow my own arguments. We love each ot...