Let Me Count The Ways

Planet Nomad, an expatriate mother of three who lives in Morocco, has some wonderful tales. She has also tagged me to tell you five things I like about being a mother, and I am absolutely game for this.

Actually, I'm glad she didn't catch me last week when I was in a less than positive maternal mood, but it probably wouldn't have mattered. My husband and I have marveled at what a weird thing parenthood is: raising kids, you can be tempest-tossed by your (and their) emotions, brought from the highest heights to the lowest depths in no time at all, but the one thing that always remains constant is your love for them. Back in my pre-kid days, I remember watching friends sparring with their obnoxious, spotty teens and thinking that if they were mine, they'd be out on their butts straight away. I watched my indulgent friends taking all kinds of nonsense from their kids, from toddlers to teenagers, and I had grave doubts that I could ever do the same.

And yet look at me now.

So here goes: five random things I love about having children:

1) I love the way having children integrates you into whatever community you are in. Of course, you can get to know your neighbors if you don't have children, but if you do have them your chances of successful integration are far greater. Especially when they get caught climbing the fence into your neighbors' pasture, hanging out the window and asking when the next gift will be forthcoming, or sparring with the kids next door. When my husband and I were double-income-no-kids types, we had no idea what we were missing, and what a good thing that was.

2) I love the sheer zany fun of kids. I love the music of our girls' laughter, their strident voices discussing the latest Japanese rock singer heart-throb or the interesting fact that a Korean pop band, Dong Bang Shin Ki, is the most photographed group of people in the entire world. There are even days when I can sit and listen to their silly nonsense for up to an hour without feeling homicidal. This is no mean feat either. Try sitting in our car sometime on a long journey and you'll get what I mean.

3) I love the way having kids pulls you right out of the box. If we had not had children, I would never have learned to appreciate The Wind in the Willows, Rammstein, Dir En Gray, Pingu, Linkin Park, or Goosebumps. I would not have learned the baby language in Japanese for 'foot', 'snack', 'stomach', 'walk', or 'dog'. I might never have found out that the Call to Prayer has five different modes depending on the time of day (courtesy of our youngest daughter, who is doing independent research), how to get chocolate stains out of cotton, the real pronunciation of hazelnut in Turkish, or the names of every Pokemon action figure.

4) I love watching their personalities develop. True, there are times I look at them and am horrified to see all the worst features of my husband or myself, but there are far more times I see in them infinitely better versions of us. If our Youngest has my husband's quick temper, she also has his forgiving nature in spades. If our Eldest has my awful tendency to procrastinate, she manages to cover this by an ability to BS that leaves me utterly breathless with admiration.

5) I love how versatile they've made me. Because I guarantee you, I did not always use to be like this. Thanks to having kids, I can multi-task with the best of them now. Like I did this morning when I managed to finish and send off a full-length manuscript to an agent, engage in a complex conversation via IM with our Eldest, and eat my breakfast.

I won't tag anyone here because I know that few people besides myself like to be tagged. But if Merry, Christy, Anne, Debra, and Robin want to play along, I'll be well entertained. And so will you.