With the start of preschool, I spend my days entrenched in the alphabet – talking about and singing the ABCs all day. The sheer number of alphabet books amongst the shelves at the library could max out our check-out limit; however, the picture/letter pairing is relatively repetitive. I mean, how many things can you think of that start with U for the toddler audience? Umbrella, unicorn,….. that’s about the extent of it. With ABCs on the brain, I think we mamas need our own version – of the parenting variety…
A is for Alone time – stolen in 4-minute chunks of time while hidden in the bathroom, secretly eating dark chocolate and praying its caffeine content will fuel us to naptime
B is for Bodily fluids – we wear the bodily fluids of our children on our clothes and in our hair as badges of honor from the trenches of motherhood
C is for Cuddles – sweet, full-body embraces from our little loves
D is for Daniel Tiger – whose teachings save us in the emotional world of toddlerhood and provide 28 minutes of blissful distraction
E is for Exhaustion – sheer physical & mental exhaustion
F is for Facebook – a place to bridge the social isolation that long days of motherhood can produce
G is for Guilt – whether working outside the home or inside it, we can all relate to mom guilt
H is for Happiness – because the pre-kid days will never compare to the happiness experienced in the role of being a mama
I is for Ice – because wrestling a 35-pound 3-year-old provides a daily dose of aches and pains
J is for Juggle – mamas are master jugglers… be it work, kids, household, budgets, mealtimes, etc., all while squeezing in time for self-care, exercise, and our partner
K is for Kisses – wet, open-mouth, slobbery ones
L is for Lollipop – the cure-all in moments of toddler crisis
M is Mom’s Night Out – Amen!
N is for Naptime – Something we bribe, cheat, and steal to achieve each afternoon
O is for Octopus – 8 arms are required to carry all the stuff needed for the kids
P is for Pinterest – because where else can you find the recipe for cloud dust & get DIY project ideas we’ll never actually get around to making?
Q is for Questions – Oh, the questions….”Why does it thunder?” “Where is my homework?” “What’s for dinner.” There are lots and lots of questions.
R is for Repetition – how many times a day do I have to say “Gentle, please”?!
S is for Sleep deprivation – Seriously, mama’s tired
T is for Tantrums – whether you’re parenting a toddler or teenager, there are big, teary-eyed, tiring tantrums.
T is also for Target – the joyful place of refuge, where I blow my budget during solo trips.
U is for Used – after the first year of motherhood, we realize we don’t need everything new and seek out the used selections of neighborhood garage sales & mom swap pages
V is for Velcro – because we appreciate anything that makes getting out the door easier
W is for Wine – obviously
X is for….nothing – my daughter always skips this letter, so why can’t I?
Y is for Yoga pants – thank goodness for the stretchy waistband of this socially acceptable version of sweatpants
Z is for Zoo – the perfect combination of entertainment for the kids and walking exercise to justify that dark chocolate I hastily devoured earlier
There ya go….the ABCs of mamahood.
