No Mush for Us

By Amy Coward

I was watching a promotional video recently in which several groups of young children were asked to share something about their moms. At first, the kids shared light-hearted comments like “she dances dorky” or “she naps a lot.” But when asked what they would say directly to their mom if given the chance, their comments were more endearing: “I don’t know what I would do without you,” “You are such an inspiration to me,” “I love you.” It was really touching.

What the kids did not know was that their mothers were watching the videotaping. They were amused at the funny comments about dancing and napping and moved by the sweet, heartfelt comments. The video brought tears to the mothers’ eyes. And to mine. (You may watch it here, if you like: http://www.chicosfas-cares.com/.)

If I were watching a video of my adult children talking about me, I would probably hear, “Mom made me wear those ridiculous John Johns,” “She cut our hair short and put gigantic bows on top of our heads,” “Mom yelled at us when we had sleep-overs if we made too much noise.”  Yeah. They might slip in a nice comment or two, but mostly it would be the funny or annoying things from growing up they would share.

You see, we don’t get too mushy at our house. We love each other and enjoy being together, but we don’t get into the serious, heartfelt moments too often. Our birthday and holiday cards are all the funny, sarcastic kind not the “love of my life” kind. And none of us post tear-jerking comments on social media about each other, no matter the occasion. Guess it’s just not in our DNA.

And that’s okay with me.

I know my kids love me. And I most certainly love them. And in the end, I must not have screwed things up too much because A. They’re all alive today, B. We all survived two teenage girls sharing a bedroom, and C. All three kids are pretty incredible people. They are smart, talented, kind and they care about the world we live in. High fives all around.

So as far as sentimental comments go, I’ll be content with the occasional, “Love ya, mom” and a quick hug. And if I open a mushy card with “I don’t know what I’d do without you” inscribed, I’ll know there’s a hidden video somewhere and I’m being pranked.

But I’ll take it and run with it. And I might even tear up a bit.

Amy Coward is a public relations professional in Columbia, SC. When she is not managing the madness of event planning at Palmetto Health Foundation, she is turning her empty nest upside down looking for fun and finding it.