1 More Day (Slice #30 - Mother)

I am turning into my mother.

Those are words that for a long time I never truly believed I would say.

I do not mean in the way that we look – although we practically look like sisters in old photographs.  We share the same blonde hair, same bright blue eyes, same face-consuming smile.

I do not mean in the way that we decorate – although we have virtually the same style.  We both have identical silverware, spa blue bathrooms, and very similar furniture.

I do not mean in the way that we love food – although we both have a passion for entertaining and enjoying quality meals.  We love recipes and sharing ideas for dinner parties or date night meals.

I do not mean in the way that we talk – although we are often quite opinionated and love to be right.  We sometimes butt heads because neither one of us can stand to lose an argument. 

I am turning into my mother because of the way that I teach. 

When I was young, my mother made everything into a “teachable moment.”  Every smell, every plant, every bug or other living creature, every sunset, every thunderstorm, every fire, every electrical outlet, every season, every star – everything was an opportunity for her to teach me science.  And when she was not teaching me about the world I lived in, she was teaching how to function in it with mathematics.  Each purchase, each sale, each cent of allowance, each birthday check, each estimation opportunity, each visit to the gas station, and each recipe provided the chance for her to improve my mathematics ability.

It made me crazy.  For the longest time, I begged for a day without a “teachable moment.”  As soon as she would begin, I often rolled my eyes in irritation.  But now, looking back, I realize all that I learned came from her.  My appreciation of nature and my infatuation with mathematics are the fruits of her ceaseless labor. 

And just the other day, when I was spending time with my precious three and seven year-old pretend children, I suddenly realized that I too filled every second I spent with them with a “teachable moment.”

I am turning into my mother – and I could not be more proud to say so.