Cute as a puppy

When I was almost 8, my only sibling was born: a brother. And he was adorable!

I think my mother did a good job of preparing me for the change and for helping me cope with the new challenges that came with no longer being an only child. When I struggled with not being noticed anymore in favor of the cute new baby, she told me "The day will come when only you and I and dad will think he is cute. Kind of like with kittens and puppies. There will come a day when we are the ones who like him."

Trouble was, it never quite happened that way. He stayed cute and still is.

But hearing this made me feel really good as an eight-year-old. Like I was in on some secret. Some secret you say? Well, after 21 years (Happy Birthday, Bro!), I think I've figured it out.

I think what she meant was that it is a privilege to be family. Because it means sticking it out with someone even when things aren't hunky-dory.

Why is that a privilege? Because serving when it isn't convenient, giving your all even when you're exhausted, and laughing when the jokes aren't funny makes you happy. Giving to another on that level is what it means to be a sister, a wife, and now a mother.

So when Kiddo smiles and charms everyone else and then cries in my arms for an hour, I smile. Because I have the blessing of being there even when he isn't charming, when I'm really tired, and I'll be there when the jokes aren't funny. That is what it means to be a mother.