Making the Bed Like my Mother

Back when I was young my mom taught me the proper way to make a bed. I did a great job following all of the steps until I went to college. Then I decided that it would save more time if I just put the fitted sheet around both corners of one end and then go to the other end and do the same. Maybe it was the lofted beds that caused this, but maybe not.

I have been making beds a lot lately. I figured out that if I don’t change Oliver’s mattress pad along with his sheet his sweet and soft little cheek starts to smell kind-of funky. All this bed-making has taught me the value of my mom’s technique: when you put the fitted sheet on opposite corners, it lies neatly and even with the corner seams without all the tugging and pulling – little did I know!

Having a baby really makes me notice all the things I do her way – the songs, the phrases, the constant reading. She taught me to be thrifty and crafty so I make toys, use cloth diapers, and knit little sweaters for my baby boy. She also showed me what it means for a woman to be an amazing stay-at-home mom and then transition into an amazing working woman at a job that uses her gifts. She’s on the cutting edge of all the best ideas for teaching Kindergarten and holds to the old standards that she just knows work the best. And it’s also pretty fun to see your mom to do this while being well dressed and not afraid to try the newest look.

My mom has also mothered me so well since I became an adult. She never insisted that I do things her way or criticized the path I took. She has done so many things to support and encourage me in this young adult phase of discovering who I am. As I have muddled my way through stressful career, schooling and family decisions, she has listened, weighed in (when asked, of course), and prayed. She is a fantastic listener and has let me have a different opinion than her. She’s even allowed me to convince her of a new way of looking at something. My mom has taught me what to do when Oliver is my age, and I know I’m trickier to mother now than when I was a baby!

I’m so proud of my Mom.