Day 13: My Earliest Childhood Memory

Beautiful graphic from Orange You Lucky

I remember living with my Mom and Dad in a little blue house in Clinton, MD. My Mom would watch one of our neighbor's little girls from time to time and we would play together. Her name was Mary. I remember one very vivid memory from this time, and I'm not sure what about it makes it stick out as it felt to me like a pretty normal day. I must have been about 3 years old.

Mary and I were sitting on the couch with my Mom and she was watching TV. Mary and I were doing my Mom's hair. We must have put at least 20 barrettes and hair clips in her hair and both of us agreed that the more barrettes we put in, the more beautiful her hair was turning out.

There was a knock at the door and my Mom got up to see who it was and then realized her appearance in front of the adult staring at her from the outside of the door. Mary and I were giggly little toddlers on the couch. And I remember my Mom being not embarrassed, but proud of her hair do.

I can imagine being in my Mother's place now and turning beet red in her situation, but not her. To this day, not much embarrasses my Mother.

Looking back at this day now, I think it taught me to wear my children's creations proudly. And I do, my kids have artwork proudly displayed all over this house. <3

.....

Being Mother's Day and all, I've been thinking a lot about my Mom. Growing up, I remember my Mom working a lot. She has always been a selfless person and all her hard work has always been for someone else. For her family mostly, but she's also a big sucker and will give to random people that ask, children's charities, and find ways to help out local families she's heard are in need.

And when she did have a day off of work, she did not rest. She spent her quality time off work doing something fun with us, dressing us up and heading out for some dance performance (we were a family of cloggers), or going to one of many family functions.

My Mom taught me the value of family, the importance of hard work and that being a mother means making sacrifices. But what I didn't learn until after I had my own children was that those sacrifices are made willingly and happily and we, as mothers, wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Mother's Day to anyone that can be called Mommy. xoxo

<3, Tabi :D