[Wondergirl]

First published: May 11, 2012

A Grandmother’s Mother’s Day.

I never completely understood the bond between my children and my mother until I myself was blessed with a grandchild of my own on July 21, 2011. Throughout my daughter’s pregnancy until the time of delivery, it still had not dawned on me that this child would be someone that I would love so much and could not imagine not being in my life.

On this, the first Mother’s Day of my becoming a grandmother, not only do I cherish the children that I gave birth to, but also the little one who resulted from one of those births. I realize that seems backward, as it is a day to cherish your own mother.

I do cherish and celebrate my mother on this day and at the same time see it as a day to celebrate the young adults that I raised my children to become. My daughter is a wonderful mother, so I will also celebrate her.

It has so far been a time of reliving milestones, like rolling over, crawling, eating his first big kid foods, laughing. It has also been a time of realizing that my job is not yet done. I will have a hand in molding the person that this child becomes, and I welcome the responsibility.

I had the misconception that once my children were grown that my days of worrying, protecting, and nurturing were over. In fact, they begin again with a twist. It’s a difficult thing to try and explain to someone who has not experienced becoming a grandmother, and is a feeling that I really have no words for. Being at a place in your life where you are able to give more of yourself to that small person who is a part of not only you, but a part of your own child is a feeling beyond comparison to any other feeling I’ve ever experienced.

On this Mother’s Day I will celebrate three generations of motherhood in my family starting at the top with my mother, me and my sister, and then my daughter. How special that it continues on in such a lovely manner!

By next Mother’s Day I will have seen him take his first steps, say his first word (we’re working on “Granny”) feed himself, be able to pet the dogs without us (hopefully) having to make sure he doesn’t pull fur, get his first haircut (which I get to do), give us a kiss.

So, on this Mother’s Day I salute every mother and grandmother, and urge you to give thanks to any woman in your life who has been a maternal influence on you, be it an aunt, older sister, co-worker, or friend.