Today’s post is a partial timeout from cycling content so I can tell my mom how great she is on her birthday!! She’s turning ___ this year. I’m not posting the real age because it probably wouldn’t fit on the screen. Plus, I still want to get my chicken and dumplings when I go visit her in a few days!
When it comes to moms, I definitely lucked out with one of the best. As I have posted before, I don’t have to look past my parents for role models.
Here are few of the many wisdoms I have learned from my mom.
Make Time
I don’t know how she did it, but I don’t think she missed a single sports practice or game that I was involved in from 5 years old through high school. It means a lot to a kid when he can look over and see his parent watching him. If you are a parent, put down the damn phone and spend your time watching your kids during their practice. It might be boring for you, but your kids will always remember. Trust me, I know.
As a kid, we took vacations to different areas every year. No, we weren’t made of money, but my parents made sure me and my brother saw various parts of the country. Oregon, Utah, and New Hampshire were three of the best.
Courage
Sometimes you just have to take the bull by the horns and overcome something that scares you. Even though she gets cold in just about any weather, my mom has gone snowshoeing and she has even held a tarantula which would never have happened several years ago.
- She is absolutely terrified of spiders!
Discipline
In my opinion, I was the perfect kid who never cried, never fought, and always listened to mom. Ok, I don’t think I fooled anyone there. I may have been quite the back-talker in my childhood saying things such as “That didn’t hurt” or “I don’t care” a few too many times. Can you believe my mom used to break my crayons and tear pages out of my coloring books when I was behaving this way? After about 3 crayons being broken I got the hint and realized I needed to follow her rules. If she did such drastic things these days, I think she would be arrested.
I don’t know how she had the patience to put up with my temper and blowups, but I hope I can find some of that patience when dealing with HER grandkids. I guess that’s what they mean by payback.
Letting me be myself
This may be one of the more important things I have learned from my mom. I know there were times when I didn’t fit in and I didn’t play by the normal rules. My mom let me be myself and grow into the goofy oddball I was meant to be.
She didn’t want me to join the wrestling team, but she saw how much I wanted to give it a try.
She didn’t want me to storm out of the house and drive like a bat out of hell to my girlfriend’s house, but…oh wait, she didn’t let me do that and she still reminds me to this day.
She didn’t want me to move across country to Colorado, but she never stood in my way and she supported me through it all. In the end, she did get two darn cute grandkids out of the deal. (Mom, if you read this, does it mean that you’re ok with me racing the Tour Divide?).
Support
Here is where the post comes back to cycling like it always does with me. As part of letting me be myself, my mom has always supported my crazy, nutty, not even close to normal ideas. How else can you explain this picture?
Is there a little elf in there somewhere?
The picture shows all of the sewing projects my mom has sometimes reluctantly agreed to work on. First were the pants – what I like to call the commuter manpris. They are a perfect way to re-use worn out slacks. Next came all of the insulated bikepacking gear. And the latest project is the Simple Pouch for the Pale Spruce OutThere kits. Thanks mom for spending your time helping me out once again.
There you have it. A few of the reasons my mom is so great. For us parents, try to be like my mom by making time to be with your kids, making sure they know who is boss, but letting them become their own person.
Happy birthday Mom. I love you and I’ll see you in a few days.
Andy
