We, Mothers.
\nWe are made
\nTo wait.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a \u201chobby\u201d we chose ourselves,
\nOr if it was pinned on us like an honorable medal.
\nWithout asking us.
\nFor a long time.<\/p>\n
We wait for the two little stripes on a funny little device.
\nThen nine months we wait for the first date with the new inhabitant of the earth.
\nThe date happens. Nine months of waiting are over.
\nBut we, Mothers, are greedy. We never get enough.
\nWe keep waiting, until they:<\/p>\n
Lift their head.
\nRoll over.
\nSit up.
\nTaste their first porridge.
\nDon\u2019t spit out that porridge anymore.
\nStart crawling.
\nGet the first tooth.
\nThen the next one.
\nTake their first steps across the room.
\nStart walking.
\nPut together their first words.
\nForm a sentence.
\nStart feeding themselves.
\nSleep through three uninterrupted hours.
\nSleep through the whole night.
\nStop chasing whales.
\nGive up the nighttime potty.
\nGo to kindergarten.
\nGo to kindergarten without tears.
\nDraw their first picture.
\nDraw Mom.
\nLearn the numbers.
\nLearn the letters.
\nStart putting syllables together.
\nLearn to brush their teeth by themselves.
\nLearn to brush their teeth well by themselves.
\nTidy up their room.
\nDo it without help.
\nMake their bed.
\nGet dressed.
\nPick clothes appropriate for the weather.
\nHang their clothes neatly.
\nTake a shower.
\nTake a shower without flooding the bathroom.
\nBrush their hair.
\nMake breakfast.<\/p>\n
Has all this happened? We, Mothers, magical,
\nWe keep waiting:<\/p>\n
Until they learn to ride a bike.
\nSwim without the \u201cdoggy style.\u201d<\/p>\n
Until they:
\nMake friends.
\nFind hobbies.
\nGo to school.
\nRead their first book.
\nWrite a good essay.
\nRecite their first free-verse poem.
\nGo on a week-long camp.<\/p>\n
And is that all already enough? Stop.
\nMothers are special.
\nThey don\u2019t give up.
\nAnd continue\u2026
\nEvery day.
\nFor many years\u2014
\nEven though it seems like they\u2019ve already seen it all.
\nThey wait.
\nFor those coming home.
\nAfter a day at school.
\nAfter a week at camp.
\nAfter a month of studies.
\nAfter a year abroad.
\nThey wait.
\nThrough successes and failures.
\nTo be able to hug them tightly.<\/p>\n
\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n
And sometimes.
\nVery rarely.
\nBetween all the \u201cwaiting,\u201d
\nThey, no longer babies,
\nJust fall asleep in our arms. Just as they used to, many years ago.<\/p>\n
Back then: your hands would go numb, your back would ache.
\nYou\u2019d count the minutes in your mind, waiting for deeper sleep so you could safely lay the treasure down in the crib.
\nYou\u2019d feel frustrated that those big round eyes didn\u2019t hide under their lashes sooner.
\nYour mind would be full of little thoughts and strategic plans, how to free your hands faster and get back to work.<\/p>\n
And now I sit, holding my breath.
\nNot moving.
\nNot thinking of any task more important than this moment, and\u2026
\nWatching such an incredibly rare sight,
\nI unconsciously whisper in my mind:
\n\u201cStop, lovely moment.
\nAnd just stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among all the \u201cso many\u201d waitings,
\nRight now
\nI am NOT waiting for anything. \u2764<\/p>\n
But tomorrow.
\nI will wait again.<\/p>\n
V.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-17581","istorija","type-istorija","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija\/17581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/istorija"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/istorija"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viktorijos.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}