MOTHERS ARE.....

.....far more than just mothers.

My experience as a mother and skills that I have learned, have prepared me for the rest of my life.

I think of my fumbling first efforts as I changed my first child for the first time. We had NAPPIES then, no oh so easy disposables, and trying to fold it around those skinny little frog legs was the first "mission impossible" for me. Once on, then the boottees if you can find and catch the flailing foot. So now what did I have apart from perspiration all over my face? A huge nappy with a midget inside. The nappy had boottees, mittens and a woollen hat. It made an enormous amount of noise and through the process of elimination I would eventually discover the cause of all the noise and what the nappy wanted.

During that first week I found that I had come to dearly love this noisy, hungry nappy who was little more than an alimentary canal.

There I had it. It was completely unable to do anything for itself, couldn't even say "hey ma, thanks for that, I feel better now" let alone give me a high five.

Time passed and as I had learned to keep this little mite alive and well, my confidence and abilities grew. But something else happened too.

I had a God given instinct to protect, nuture, love and guide with understanding and a certain amount of patience (that was an ongoing work in progress) this wee babe.

Time passed and I learned to never interfere with their efforts to feed (peanut butter sammies stuck to the wall) to dress (bite my tongue) or to brush their hair (good grief). They gave themselves haircuts too (eeeeeeekkkkk!!!!).

They wanted independance and I learned to slowly let go, and eventually they could fly.

God saw my tears and He understood my sore heart, and he was there to tend to me.

As I grew older I realised that life had many other hills for me to climb.

My first husband had a heart attack at an early age but recovered fully. My second husband had a stroke.

He became like a child again. He could not walk, make himself understood clearly, I devised a "charade" system of communication for a while. I shaved him, showered him, washed and brushed his hair and teeth. Trying to keep his pride intact.

But I had done all those things before and the instincts were not dormant but alive and well, just not needed again until this time. They came to my rescue.

Now, 3 months on, he walks unaided for short distances, understands more, he is re-learning words he knew, his speech is clear, he shaves himself, washes half his body himself, brushes his own hair and teeth.

My body no longer aches from lifting him and I have more time for myself. I can leave him for short periods at a time if need be. He is blessed to have a second chance at life.

As my children did he has grown more independant and is moving away from his dependance on me in the same way that my children did.

But this time I cry no tears and my heart is glad.