Admittedly, I Haven't Been a Parent That Long.........

............but there are few things that today, my daughter's 15th birthday, has taught me about being a mother.  Here are some of my thoughts in no particular order of importance:

• No matter how organized you are, there are bound to be surprises.  Not all of them will be pleasant, but they will all be learning experiences.
• Just when you think you've got your kid/s pegged as to their musical preferences, food loves, learning styles, fashion choices, etc., they will throw a curve at you.  Remember to duck and throw back the pitch.
• Regardless of a mother's age when she gives birth, the first time she holds her child will be terrifying and exhilarating and humbling.  And regardless of her child's age, she will ALWAYS think of her child as her "baby."
• Teenagers don't feel the cold.  If they do, they're far too "cool" to show it.
• If you insist that your teen take a jacket to school as they leave for the day (because the morning temperature is hovering just above 40 degrees F), be prepared for said jacket to lose it's way home.
• Kids might do chores without complaint, do homework with little whining, and eat food they don't want with little fuss, but they WILL piss off their older sister JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT and get upset when she HITS him for getting in her face.
• A mother will be most tired just as the kids get home from school, even though she did not have to change any diapers, put any kids down for a nap, or clean up any vomit.
• Even though my kids are fairly self-sufficient, this mom does need to teach them how to do more than cook pasta, bacon and eggs, or soup.  Dinners can be pretty routine when mom is in bed and the kids are in charge of cooking.
• Cooking meals in advance and freezing them in preparation for mom's absence of several days is pointless.  Dad will inevitably tell the teen girl not to bother heating up the food since they're all going out for pizza.  Again.
• Mom's Getaway Trips are even more vital as the kids get older.

There you have some of my more random thoughts this day, the day my motherhood came to full fruition. I do no claim that these are universal truths, but they seem to hold true in the Songbird household.

At least for today.

Later daze........................

I Got Called into the Office............

................and I didn't even do anything!  Seriously, though, it's quite disconcerting to have someone say, "Do you have a minute?" and then have them lead you into their office and lock the door behind you after you've entered.

My older sisters would laugh to read this, but it seems that I have a reputation as a mediator.  A calm voice in the storm as it were.  Apparently, my counsel is sought by people on both sides of an issue because my thoughts are viewed as intelligent and unbiased.  I seem to make others feel at ease, and I have the ability to show others how a seemingly-impossible situation can be a win-win for all involved.  Or, at least, a NOT lose-win situation.

The art of compromise.

Not something with which I was gifted as a child.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  I was an award winning manipulator, as youngest children can be.  As the years went by, however, I learned that manipulating was no way to win over people.  I cultivated the art of contemplation.  I studied before uttering.  As I approached my 40s, I noticed that I also rejected my extroverted nature and embraced my inner introvert.  So imagine my surprise when I was told by a former supervisor that I was a "leader."  Me?  A leader?  No way.

She said to me, "You are a true leader.  You lead from within."

Huh?

I was clueless what she meant by that.......but a few years later, I understood what she meant.  And I learned to embrace it.

Which leads me to the "locked door" conference I just had with a professional associate, someone with whom I work in my volunteer endeavors.  A person whose opinion I respect, even when I disagree with her.

This person lead me into the locked office and shared her confidence in me for being the port in the storm, the voice of reason amidst the cacophony of clamoring voices.

I guess it's not so bad being the rock in the hurricane.

A river in a time of dryness 

A harbour in the tempest