Who Are You Calling Mommy?
I think the word "Mommy" gets slammed a lot. It seems to have a
treacly undertone that people don't take seriously. And before you
think I'm late to the New York Times mommy blogger
rebuttal, let me assure you that this post is not about that rag. It
seems to me that "Mommy" is often coupled with "just," as in "just a
mommy." Even mothers use it self-deprecatingly ourselves. Often in an
atmosphere of other adults, say a cocktail party or office open house,
when asked about ourselves, we look to the floor, shrug, and say, "Oh,
I'm just a mommy." Why must we discount ourselves as such? There's
power in Motherhood.
Being called Mommy is a privilege.
To most of the world I am Ilina. To some I am Mrs. Ewen. To others I am known as a variety of nicknames like Sweetie, Monkey, and Sparky. But only two people on this planet call me Mommy.
All mothers pay their dues to join such a sisterhood, and others toil everyday trying to get in. Whether by natural childbirth, the aid of an epidural, cesarean, or adoption, Motherhood is honorable. And coveted. Motherhood is important yet underrated and certainly undervalued. As it stands, our children won't give us credit or cut us slack or show us appreciation...until they have children of their own. Karma works that way, I guess. Must the rest of the world follow suit in showing no reverence to mothers?
When did Mommy become a bad word?
Mommy is the most special term of endearment that is reserved for only the people our hearts embrace the tightest. Among the titles I've had printed under my name on business cards, none comes close to weight of Mommy. I am proud to have two little boys who call out "Mommmmmmyyyyyy!" when they fall, fail, or frolic. I rue the day they grow up and start calling me Mom. I wonder if my own mother felt the same way. You see, we are Mommy for such a short time. We are Mommy when our children are small and impressionable and innocent. We are Mommy when our children learn to utter their first words, graduating from Mama. We are Mommy one day and Mom the next.
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