Thanks to Those Who Call Us Mom

Today is a day set aside to celebrate the mothers in our lives, but I wanted to take a moment to remember the reason we achieve that title-our kids.  Moms are privileged to inspire and sometimes enable our children’s dreams.  We have the joy of encouraging them to seek to fulfill those dreams, be they realistic or as far away as the stars.  Even if we gripe about driving them to and from practice day after day or standing in line at midnight releases to get that next book they just have to have, we still choose to do so.

A mom is the one who most often takes the kids to that one-time only appearance at the mall.  Traditionally it is Mom who gets to see those puppy dog eyes and their best “please” whenever the newest, best action figure comes out or the movie they just have to see comes to the theatre.  Of course, Dad does his part too, but usually Mom still makes it happen.

As moms we get to facilitate our kids’ love for all things of fandom, because we love our children.  Some moms are fangirls in their own right, of course, and actually enjoy reading books like Twilight and going to the movies just as much as their daughters.  Other moms, while having no interest in fantasy and sci-fi themselves, willingly tolerate and even participate as a means of bonding with their exuberant children.

My own mother never showed more than a passing interest in any superhero when I was growing up, but she bought me the Wonder Woman Underoos and lunchbox I asked for, because she understood that roleplay and fantasy were normal, and even healthy for a child’s development.  Later she indulged my children in Power Rangers and Harry Potter simply because she could.

I did some of that indulging myself, in my children’s early years, but as they grew I was lucky enough to find fandoms where I could share in my kids’ enthusiasm.  (It’s still much more permissible to be an adult, female fan of certain things if you’re sharing the experience with your kids.)  Now that my kids are grown, though, we continue to share interest in certain fan activities, and I’ve watched to my joy my kids take an interest in “retro” things I enjoyed at their age and younger.  Who expected cult classic movies from Carrie to Ghostbusters to be remade?  And who expected shows like Dr. Who would still be going strong, over 50 years after its original broadcast?

So today I’m grateful for the chance I’ve had to be a mom to two wonderful, thoughtful children.  I appreciate the fact that they both took time from their busy schedules to remember me today.  I’m glad for all the fun and mutual interests we have shared, and will continue to share in the future.  After all, they’ll both be home next weekend and we have a Captain America movie to see together.

Hope you all have enjoyed the day!

Amy