I'm One Of THOSE Mothers

"Please don't tell me you're one of THOSE mothers."

The emphasis on the word "those" was loaded with sarcastic eye rolls and self-righteous annoyance. There was quite probably a bit of condescension and disgust peppered on top, too. At least that's what I heard.

This particular time, the comment was made in regards to a conversation on extended breastfeeding... but I've heard the same word spat with the same inflection over many other topics, too.

I'm not going to lie. I am one of THOSE mothers... those mothers who seem to do odd and extreme things. I may not be tripping out in Birkenstocks (too expensive) or peasant skirts (I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.) but I am one of those crunchy earthy moms who birthed babies at home, used cloth diapers, made her own baby food, carried babies in a sling, and breastfed those babies past their second birthdays (some of them well beyond).

I'm also one of those mothers who chose to home educate, allows her children to question authority and play outside unsupervised, who avoids coal tar dyes and MSG like the plague.

I'm one of those mothers who votes and writes letters to senators and signs petitions.

One who believes in natural healing and positive thinking and obsessive recycling.

I'm one of THOSE mothers who hangs out here on the fringe. I'm one of the weirdos. One of the crazies.

I admit... I'm not your average mother (I don't know if you've noticed the title of this blog?).

But I am also one of THOSE mothers who worries about her children's decisions, who tells them to eat their vegetables, who fusses when they forget to take out the trash. I'm one of those mothers who watches the news with trepidation, wondering what kind of world my children will be living in when they reach adulthood.

I'm one of those mothers who kisses them goodnight and hugs them when they are hurting and makes them sit at the dining room table until they've finished all of their math problems. I'm one of those mothers who folds the laundry and scrambles eggs and makes them pick up their toys.

I'm one of those mothers that lays awake at night hoping and praying and worrying. I'm one of those mothers who wants something better for her children than what I had.

I'm one of those mothers who has cried tears of pain and tears of joy.

So, I admit... maybe I'm not all that different.

But underneath all of the things that make us different, we mothers are really essentially all the same.

I'm one of THOSE mothers...

The mothers who love their children.

I bet you're one of THOSE mothers, too.