Thank You doesn't really hold much value, but I hope you realize how much I love and appreciate all the memories you've enabled me to create, and the ones you continue to add to our collection. They say you can't buy a childhood, which is true, but money or know money it is the attitude you choose to have in the moment that makes it either a good or a bad memory. The memories are made from time well spent. Sometimes it would be everyday things, sometimes our own family traditions and in deed I certainly remember the money spent too. And somehow I lucked out and got optimistic, upbeat, role model parents! Thank you mom for choosing to have a good attitude, even in sticky situations... many of which I created.
Thank you for always standing up for us when needed. My earliest memories with Mom were Harbor House days of preschool. She made it so I didn't have to take a nap like every other kid! Go mom! Yep, rebelling against school rules since day one ;-)
After preschool she arranged so her boss, and friend would pick me up, which typically ended in Happy meals and kids meals before joining mom at work and socialize with the patients at the nursing home. She'd give me money sometimes to but candy from Mrs. Edie, other times we just talked while mom worked. She made work fun. She may not have been having the most fun, but she made sure I had fun there while she finished up her work day and learned how to make friends of any age.
Thank you for teaching us how to be a good friend. I remember mom was always quick to lend a hand. At the ripe age of 7 mom's friend Jim lived with us until he could more his family to town and buy their home. It showed me you can and should have friends of any gender regardless if you are in a relationship. Too many people these days seem to think it is one or the other. Dear Teenagers and young adults, you can be friends and even love your friends of either gender and not be flirting or cheating or romantic. And so when my best friend Caitlin moved when I was about 8 and the neighborhood was basically over run with buys, I was able to be friends without a second thought, because mom, you laid the foundation that friendships shouldn't solely be decided by gender.
Thank you for being careful of what you did, knowing you had eyes constantly watching you. My strongest 3 addiction are thanks to mom; nail biting, ice chomping and sweet tea drinking--- before sweet tea was a big cheap thing at every fast food joint. She made the home made type not with a Mr. Tea machine but in a ceramic pitcher with just the right amount of sugar! Thanks for choosing these addictions and not smoking or drinking or self pitty or....
Thank you for being a bread winner. As far back as I can remember through sixth grade mom, was an out of the home working mom. She worked a few different jobs, whatever she needed to to help our family make ends meet yet that worked around scheduling. I feel that is a good memory. I had a great young child life, even with two working full time parents. Mom, you taught me work ethic. That it's ok to love a job, don't be afraid to throw in the towel and look for something better or different if where you are makes you too unhappy or doesn't treat you well. I wasn't so quick to be brave enough to take that leap.But I remember when you have.
Thank you for teaching us responsibility and allowing us to take it on multiple times. Like in 3rd grade we moved to Pottsgrove and Zach and I had to take turns hand washing dishes until we earned the privilege of an automatic dishwasher. Or a few months later when you allowed both Zach and I to get our own paper routes to earn spending money... even though I was only 9 and technically not old enough yet. Every weekday was a bus ride home from school followed by immediately having to do our paper routes regardless of weather and have papers delivered to all 65ish costumers a piece by 5pm. and every weekend was an early wake up to have papers delivered by 8am. And you running me to endless babysitting jobs and allowing me to volunteer in the church nursery and even earn the privilege of teaching preschoolers. All things you had allow and supervise some and be an emergency back up for and transport for. I hope this is one of the top qualities I can teach my own kids as I feel it is one thing I did well because of you.
Thank you for teaching us independence. It was during this era of 4th grade we began to learn some real independence. We no longer had an after school baby sitter like before we moved. We now each had a job and spending money. Half was to be saved and half was our choice minus 10% mandatory tithe. You let me save up months of paper route to get my dream bed a bunk bed futon at the bottom. Oh how I loved that bed. It was also at this time we could ride the bikes freely in the entire neighborhood (without sneaking past boundaries like may very well the the case at our previous neighborhood... ops! ;-) ) Thank you for teaching us we had come definite control in our lives and to decide carefully... or else you may have already spent too much paper route money and be out when Bartoe's Ice Cream had your fav flavor... I <3 his teaberry!!
Thank you for teaching us school is important... but not our #1 priority. You allowed me to stay with Grandma a whole week straight after Papa died without a second thought. Thank you for allowing me to make the memories with Grandma during her most difficult time and my first most difficult time. And then came the foster care days of 6th grade and beyond... where we could frequently skip one day a month to go with you on payday to the grocery store and choose basically anything we wanted at Aldi's. This really is one of my most fond memories of these next two years. It was the day every month all of us kids looked forward to, spending with you, being a little spoiled, a lot loved and making memories of buying generic inexpensive food... brand isn't everything! This may very well be why I still love grocery shopping now and it isn't a burden or a dreaded necessary task, even in the years where money has been super very extra tight.
Thank you mom for teaching me to love the less fortunate. This began since forever ago when we would donate to charities like Salvation army and to love the less fortunate kids in the neighborhood; immensely. From the youngsters in the apartment building in our first neighborhood, or my friend Dianna when I was in 6th grade and she was caring far more responsibility than any 6th grader should from parenting both her 2y/o baby sister Marcella and a baby cousin Tessa. You were always welcoming and many meals were shared and sleepover too, often including the babies. To when you taught us to be the voice for the voiceless, going to Precious Life marches and banquets and even March for Life in D.C. To when you involved us as very active volunteers for non profits like the Humane Society, The Family Resource Center and Church. The most obvious example though of course is when you decided to become a foster parent and not to add babies to our family or the younger easier to place children but you choose the older age group, a more difficult age group, a harder to place age group, often children with more deep wounds that were sometimes harder to love, but you never gave up on them at a magic age like many seemed to, not even after they were 18. You continued to support several of them emotionally and financially consistently still just like a mom does.
Thank you for making holidays amazing. Not a birthday passed without an over priced cake. You wanted to make it a reason to celebrate every year.... even when I didn;t and even when I was a poor sport with a surprise 16th birthday bc it meant people had lied to me. You went over board on Christmas, even though you shouldn't have. Thank you! You bought us JCP stuffed animals for Easter w/o dad noticing since he didn't allow baskets or bunny gifts. You thought of the absolute best gifts. You still do.
Thank you for being hard on me. I needed it.... I probably needed even more than got I dished out. However, it did teach me a good bit about reality. It also has taught me a thing or ten about parenting.
Thank you for making me your priority. It sounds like common sense and yet I know because I've seen it with my foster siblings and some coworkers and some of the kids friends that this isn't a given. This a choice that is made, a commitment that you chose to follow through on again and again and again and still.
Thank you for teaching me what it means to be good mom. You've been teaching me this as far back as I can remember.
Thank you most of all for loving my kids and all of your kids so unconditionally. Not only did I get to have the best childhood, now my kids get the same, because you are so involved in theirs. This seems a rarity.
Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you.... even though I am not very vocal and don't say it much.
