A Jen Too Many

Oldest Girl Child has announced that she is too old to call me Mommy anymore. Her friends all call their mothers Mom, and she has decided it is time for her to do the same. She let me know this yesterday, and has been working on it ever since. At first, she kept slipping up, but now she is calling me Mom fairly reliably.

It's a shock every time I hear the word Mom coming out of her. There's a little flash of pain that deafens me for a moment and grays out my vision. I'm losing something precious here, even more than when she made the change from baby to toddler. This is as big as when she went off to her first full day of school.

I remember when I made that change. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember that same feeling OGC describes - the feeling that I was much too old to call my mother Mommy; that it was time for me to start calling her Mom. I was so proud of myself. I felt so mature and grown up. I understand how OGC feels right now; I wonder if my mother felt as sad as I do.

Youngest Girl Child is not happy with the change. This morning she made it clear that she has no intention of ever doing the same thing - she will call me Mommy forever. OGC told her (in that smug big sister way) that she would change her mind when she got to be OGC's age. YGC indignantly denied it. OGC insisted she would. I had to separate them at that point.

Recently I was teaching my Sunday class of five year olds about the importance of obeying your parents. "I know my mommy's name!" one little boy burst out. "It's Mommy!"

"Good-bye, Mom!" OGC called this morning as she headed out the door to the bus.

My name is Mom now. I'd rather be Mommy.