Mother's Day

A few recollections about my mom, Diane Whiting, on this Mother's Day:

1. My mom used to record my brother and I on one of those old cassette tape recorders with a plug-in mic when we were babies/toddlers. She brought these cassettes on her last visit, and my ex digitized them and burned them to CD. I love listening to her voice, so soothing, trying to coax my brother and I to sing, talk, and generally behave. It was so sweet.

2. My mom always made sure that my brother and I didn't go without - even on the extravagant things. My first bed was a white canopy bed with pink accents. It was awesome - I had many fun afternoons hanging my Barbies from the canopy, playing Trapeze or Hangman. We always got new clothes for each school year, and got to take Fruit Roll Ups for breaktime at school, and she paid extra so I could get the chocolate milk. She would drop me off at the rollerskating rink, and pick me up before Late Skate (nope, never did get to stay).

3. My mom went all out for holidays. We always had amazing Easter Egg hunts, tons of presents under the tree at Christmas, and surprises from the Leprechauns (usually Mint Dilly Bars from DQ).

4. My mom is a big believer in turtlenecks. Which made sense due to the fact that we were living on the frozen tundra. Almost every winter morning, I had to help my mom get her sweaters/turtleneck on over her head because she didn't want to mess up her hair. This is a good memory for me - sometimes we would laugh at our incredible efforts.

5. My mom worked full-time, and managed the household on her own. I became the lucky (yes, very lucky) product of a single-parent family when I was six years old. I am very happy that it was just me, my mom and my brother. I never felt like we were missing out on having a traditional family. If I could go back and change it, I'd pass.

Happy Mother's Day, mom. I wish I was there to celebrate with you.