My Three Resolutions

Mother’s Day is here and as you read this, my three boys are probably finishing their handmade cards filled with pictures of flowers, stick-figure families, and hearts. I love Mother’s Day. I love the recognition, the gratitude, and gosh darn it, I like sleeping later than 9 a.m. one morning a year!

While Mother’s Day allows me to bask in my boys’ affection, it is also a time of reflection and setting goals for the upcoming mothering year.

Goal No. 1: I will insist on personal hygiene.

I hope I am not the only mother in Trumbull who says a little prayer to the dental gods every time we visit the dentist. I try – really I do. I am the broken record constantly reminding the boys to brush and floss and rinse, but for some reason the fuzz on their teeth always stays put.

And let’s face it – boys stink. There is a distinctive boy smell permeating my station wagon that no amount of Febreze can ever fix. This coming year, bathing must occur more than once a week, especially after sporting events. Faces and hands will be washed after eating peanut butter and jelly. Socks and underpants will be changed daily. And no Andrew, turning the underwear inside out doesn’t count.

Goal No. 2: I will encourage my sons to eat nutritiously.

I was blessed with the most obstinate middle child in creation. John will not eat anything that has a face, is green, or was not made in a factory. What does he survive on you ask? Frozen waffles.

This year John has to try new food, especially vegetables. I can almost accept the fact that he is a vegetarian and doesn’t yet know it. But if that’s the case, he has to find other forms of protein and fiber that don’t trigger his vomiting mechanism.

This will not be an easy goal. I know by taking on this task I am facing misery, puke, and tears. But the alternative is watching my middle son become a short, sallow, undernourished young man.

Goal No. 3: I will teach my sons to display leadership in difficult situations.

I love our Trumbull schools and I think Trumbull teachers are the under-recognized heroes of the community. That said, school can be a scary place for students who are shy or a little different. It is so easy for a child to be influenced or intimidated by a peer who thinks it’s fun to laugh, or call names, or point. I will continue to talk with my boys and insist that making someone feel uncomfortable or bad about himself is never okay.

When I was pregnant with my oldest son, my doctor said, “You may think pregnancy is hard, but just wait until your baby can makes his own decisions.” At the time, I laughed, naively thinking I could handle anything. I did not envision a world with Facebook or texting. 

Motherhood is hard, and it’s physically and emotionally exhausting when done right. My house may not be the cleanest. Dinnertime may be way too dramatic. But, at the end of the day, I hope my boys will continue to be good kids.