THE TASTES OF MOTHERHOOD

Christine Fugate is a mother & writer living in Los Angeles. Her blog can be found at MotheringHeights.net. Christine’s book The Mothering Heights Manual For Motherhood is available on Amazon.com & Target.com.

Before I had my babies, I lived in Bangkok, Thailand and worked in the film industry as an Assistant Director. For a portion of my time there, I stayed with my Thai girlfriend in her family’s compound. Her mother loved to cook a four course dinner every night. And loved me who, unlike her daughters, would eat everything she cooked.

She taught me that every good Thai dish has a balance of three flavors: sweet, sour and salty. When I thought about writing about motherhood for Tastybaby, I immediately thought of how motherhood has the same three flavors. Sometimes I can taste them all at once and other times my mommy taste buds switch to a single flavor.

Part One:  Sweet

Recently I was sharing the sweetest moment with my seven year old laughing and playing Elevator One, a hand clapping game. We were on our third round, when my six-year old decided to create a long-winded whining spell about her sister not picking up her side of the bedroom. My nerves went from smooth to rattled within a matter of seconds. It was like eating a delicious piece of Devil’s Food chocolate cake and biting down on a grain of sand. I can’t enjoy the cake, even though it is incredibly delicious.

I want to have my cake and eat it too, which is why I am trying to focus on truly enjoying the fun, even if it lasts for a short time.  The sweet can be as yummy as frosting on a spoon, but eventually you have to wash the bowl.

Part Two:  Sour

When I was a kid, I loved to eat Green Apple Sour Jolly Ranchers. The more sour the better. Now days, I can’t tolerate the puckers.  I wonder why? And why can’t I ride roller coasters anymore without being completely terrified? Or drive a Vespa without knowing I may soon crash? After becoming a mother, I am convinced a re-wiring takes place. No longer can we enjoy living near the edge. Those moments can be too much, quickly turning sour and sad.

Last year, I was at the park having a quick chit-chat with an interesting mom when BAM!  My youngest fell off the monkey bars and broke her wrist. Of course, it was my fault for taking five minutes to have chat and not keeping my ‘don’t get hurt’ watchful eye on her. After an evening at the Emergency Room and a soft cast, we headed home to heal. I counted another a year off of my projected lifespan and five thousand gray hairs sprouting on my head.

Six months later, there is no aftertaste of that sour moment. My daughter plays at the park as usual as I stand by and watch. I can’t say I love the monkey bars, but I don’t want her to be filled with my fears. I need to pucker up and swallow. Sour moments are a part of the motherhood palate, even if they don’t taste very good.

Stay tuned for the final Taste of Motherhood…Salty (hint: tears)

Contest!  Three Tastybaby readers can win their very own copy of Christine Fugate’s The Mothering Heights Manual For Motherhood by emailing info@tastybaby.com with “Win Mothering Heights” as the subject. Be sure to include your name, email address, & phone number in the body of the email.

The winner will be chosen in October.

Good luck!

Can’t wait? Buy the book from Target.com