Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Third Degree of Truth.
One of my hot buttons that I don’t think will ever cool down is to see another mother do something really stupid or self-centered. Who am I to judge? I’ll tell you.
I am the non-swimmer who’s stayed (more than once!) with small children in deep water until their moms—strangers to me—remembered to focus on something other than a cute guy in a towel and good tan. I’m the woman who’s grabbed a toddler running for a busy street while Mom’s trying to lick her boyfriend’s ice cream cone. I’m the driver who’s stopped in the middle of a highway while a little tyke barely old enough to walk tried to cross to get to his mommy who’s walking 20 feet away and faster to keep up with the man she’s having an irate conversation with. I am the mom who…well, you get the idea.
As a mom, the protector in me comes out and I get livid when other moms don’t pay attention, especially when it’s some guy that’s so less worth it than her kids. I can really understand why “Mother” and “Warrior Goddess” are so closely associated.
Most recent hot-button pushes?
The 5-year-old struggling to ride his bike without falling over—on an ultra busy street corner in town. No mom, no dad, not even an irresponsible sibling in sight. Besides the thousands of cars on this street daily, there are several registered sex offenders living within 2 miles of his neighborhood, according to a local website. If I were the type to steal children, I could have been at least
2 hours away by now. If I were the type to run over kids on bikes or not have good brakes, I could have been at least 2 hours away by now. If I were the type to molest little boys, he could have been dead in a ditch a couple of hours ago. This is my concrete proof of guardian angels.
The two-year custody struggle over a 16-year-old boy whose parents I know. Initially, his mom left his dad for another man and told his dad to take the kid. She had more important things on her mind. Then mom and new man #1 broke up and she got lonely and wanted the kid back. Which lasted for about 2 months, until she got a new boyfriend and sent the boy back to live with his dad. Then man #2 dumped her and she was all alone and didn’t like being alone at night so she wanted the kid back. The judge gave the boy a choice but told him he couldn’t change his mind again until he was 18. The boy really wanted some mom attention and went back with her, excited that she wanted him. Within 3 months, yep, along comes a new boyfriend who quickly becomes a new husband and the boy’s mom can’t even get the kid fed when he has the flu because she’s off spending all her energy on the new spouse. So boy’s dad’s new wife takes him home, feeds him, and nurses him back to health, and boy stays with dad and step-mom. All is fine with mom because she’s now re-married, no longer lonely, and still getting child support for the boy (until he’s 18) who never sees her. Grrrrrr.
I guess I was thinking about these things last night when Shannon was sick and I was stroking her hair. She tells me today that she can’t imagine a mom like that because I’m the only mom she’s ever known.
I’m glad.
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