Unexpected Knowledge

Mother's Day was this weekend and I can't help but be a bit reflective about what it means to be a mom.  I've had a wonderful example in my own mother that I wrote a bit about here.  But that being said, nothing prepares you for the way your life changes when you become a Mom.  I think there are several reasons for why your girlfriends don't tell you about this transformation.  Maybe they are embarrassed to admit that they enjoy the music on the Wiggles and consider it the exercise routine for the day.  (Hmmm... why isn't that baby weight coming off?!)  Or they don't even realize that they have reverted to the point in their lives when they excuse themselves at an adult function "to go to the potty".  Mainly, I think mothers just forget that life wasn't always this way.  I know I do all the time.  I can hardly remember a time when my conversations took place with mostly adults and my brain was filled with knowledge from books and newspapers.

My life now as a mother of boys makes me laugh.  Today we were driving down the street and I said, "Mark!  Look at that mini excavator!  That's so cool!"  Really.  4 years ago I didn't even know what a mini excavator was.  And I certainly wouldn't have even noticed it as I drove past.  The only time I noticed construction equipment was when it was driving very slowly in front of me on the highway.  We walked to the end of our street when we got home and talked about all the different construction vehicles that were working and the jobs they were possibly doing.  It's not exactly what I expected to be an expert on in my lifetime.  Other "useful" knowledge I've picked up along the way:  the difference between diesels and steam engines, the wide variety in motor noises, the way to clean sand out of diapers and hair.  And there are all the other unexpected pieces of knowledge you pick up as a mother:  learning to kiss away tears and hurt, the way you learn to tip-toe in a room to watch your child sleep, the ability to sense a cry before it even starts, and the knowledge that your heart will never ever quite be the same after being filled with the love for your children.  

Yeah, this motherhood thing is a little different than I expected.  And I was completely unprepared.  But I think we are doing okay...  If I could figure out the mini excavator, I can figure out anything, right?