Thoughts on Mom…From a Dad’s Perspective

“Hey Mom, where’s my…”

“Mommy, will you…”

“Mom, when do we go…”

“Mama, my throat hurts…”

“Mom, what’s for…”

“Mom? MOM? MOM!….I forgot what I was going to ask.”

“Mom, how do I…”

Mom. It’s probably the first word I ever said, the first word I ever even thought to say, and more than likely it emerged in a demanding tone. From there, the endless barrage of questions, requests, demands, expectations and needs ensued.

MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM

Fast forward a few decades and I now witness this age old pattern unfold first hand, from the sidelines. Don’t get me wrong; my head is (almost) always in the game, but sometimes I feel like a 3rd string rookie, just waiting for my opportunity to contribute while my wife is not only the starting quarterback, linebacker, and safety, but the head coach as well. Everything goes through her…through Mom.

We have two wonderful daughters, each of whom are well over a decade into their lives. Yes; they are far more self sufficient than they once were. Yes; the things they need from Mom are generally less pressing and occur more infrequently than in their younger years. But the time and energy required on Mom’s part to address these issues seems to be ratcheted up exponentially now. Morning, noon and night there are always multiple needs that Mom is juggling. It never ceases, and hopefully it never will. As the moments blend into weeks and then into decades, the questions, demands and needs have congealed into one long stream of MOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOM… it has become so ever present, such a ubiquitous constant that the sound has become part of the fabric of our lives.

It just… is.

MOM.

MOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMoMoMoMomOmOmOmOmOm Om om om om.

Om. ॐ

The sound of consciousness.

The sound of love.

The sound of Mom.

~E.A

“Making Life a Little Sweeter Through Food, Travel and Community”