Granny and Shannie

You know the old adage...'I'm turning into my mother'? I'm more like my mother than my mother is. I feel like the luckiest girl alive to have my Mom as my best friend! It's strange how much we think alike. And we kind of feed off each other on the crafty stuff. She has an idea, then I add stuff to her idea, then she improves my suggestions. It's kind of ridiculous how in-sync our thoughts are.

I adore my Mom AND Dad. I have a couple personality traits similar to my Dad (I'm pretty analytical, I have a dry sense of humor, and I'm ALWAYS right!) but my overall personality is SO similar to my Mom. We're nurturers. We're empathetic. We care more about relationships than things. Sometimes we need to learn to keep our mouth's shut.

There are so many things my Mom took Laur and I to do as a kid that I want to do with Betsy. We went to the theater. We went to the ballet. My mom threw dinner parties for my friends in high school. I remember her helping me get ready for every school dance. I remember grocery shopping with my Mom every Sunday. My Mom wrote a rap for me and a couple friends to perform at the school talent show in second and third grade (that's right, I'm a rapper). When my friends and I played and laid out in the pool my Mom would make us fruity drinks in pretty glasses and bring them out to us in the pool.

My mom showed me that you can have a career and still be involved in your child's life. She made every Christmas extra special. In college when I came home I was encouraged to bring my friends and she made my favorite meals. We talk every day and if I'm upset about something talking to her makes me feel better. Having a daughter has brought me closer to my Mom than I could ever imagine. It makes me grateful that she set such a great example, and I know she's proud of what kind of parent I have become. The greatest praise she can give me is about my parenting skills.

The other day in response to my story about Betsy trying to eat dog food my Mom told me "being a working mom is the hardest job in the world,". I told her I feel too blessed to be stressed. I really understand that statement now. I saw my Mom balance a TON of things. She worked, had a long commute, fixed dinners, drove us to little league practice, helped maintain the house and much more. I think seeing this impacted my view of what I can do. I truly think my Mom can do anything, and if she can do it, I can too.

I hope one day Betsy feels about me the way I do about her Granny.