i Know. I'm a Mom too

This article had me teary eyed. The Most Powerful Thing You Can Say to Another Mom  (*click HERE to go to the actual article) A few weeks ago, one of my dearest friends lost her 21-month-old daughter forever when the sweet baby girl died unexpectedly and suddenly. My friend and I live on opposite sides of the country, so I took a trip to visit her for this past weekend. Admittedly, I was a nervous wreck about what I was going to say to her and her husband. How was I going to find the words to comfort them? How would I avoid saying the wrong things? I wanted to find perfect words, and, as I am a writer, words happen to be one of the few ways I truly know how to express myself. Except I was at a complete loss over her loss. Having two healthy children at home, I felt I couldn't truly relate to her pain, so how on earth was I going to be able to comfort her during a situation that I have very little experience in? Armed with a pocket full of Bible verses and a slough of rehearsed things to say, I walked into her home and could never in a million years have foreseen the life-altering and powerful words that would be spoken between us during our time together. Except the words came from her, to me. From her. To me. That's right. My friend, who at this point is proving to be one of the strongest people I know, said something during her time of grief that will forever hold a spot in my heart. It was a phrase so simple, yet it has hit a chord deep inside of me. As she was describing the events leading up to the death of her daughter, she tried to express to me her complete heartbreak as she held her sweet child in the hospital during the minutes and hours after she died. Describing the time only as her worst nightmare, she said to me with tears rolling down her face, "You're a mom, you know." You're a mom, you know. This phrase took my breath away — as well as any composure that I had managed to keep together up until then. Because it was at that point, with that phrase, that I was able to start to understand the magnitude of her sorrow. Sure, I was completely heartbroken for her before, as death is difficult for anyone. But I'll admit that I didn't fully understand my role as her friend or as a fellow mom. See, all this time I had been looking in the wrong places for the perfect thing to say to her while I should have just looked at our simplest bond: motherhood. And while I have not experienced the pain that comes along with losing a child, I do understand the joy that she once experienced from holding her child. And to lose that? There are no words Except maybe "I'm a mom, I know." Losing a child is every mom's worst fear — no matter who you are or what kind of mom you choose to be. In the days since, I've been keeping this simple thought in mind when relating myself to other mommies. Sure, we all have our different ways of mothering and raising our families, but we do have one thing in common: our hearts are directly connected to our children. It makes the whole mommy wars thing seem, well, totally ridiculous. You're a mom, you know. So as I went with my own mom, who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, to her radiation treatment, I glanced over at the young mother of a small boy in the waiting room. He was maybe 3 years old (though it's hard to tell because he was so tiny). He sported a colorful Superman cape and a bland hospital mask as he sat cradled in his mom's arms. She said something quietly to him. My heart stopped. This mom ached for that mom. And the tears started to fall from my eyes despite me not knowing her one bit. Despite me only sitting in the waiting room for maybe 30 seconds. Despite my own mom sitting next to me about to have her own radiation treatment. This is crazy, I thought. I don't even know this woman. But what I do know is that I'm a mom. And later I was getting dinner at a takeout restaurant, and one of the employees was on the phone in the restroom. She was struggling to find a babysitter for her child while she finished her late shift. She was frantic. She was upset. She was mad. My heart skipped another beat, and the tears welled up in my eyes once again. I know, I'm a mom. As I went back to my mom's house, heartbroken over my friend's loss, my mother was trying to comfort me. Asking if I was OK. Me! She was the one going through radiation, I should be comforting her. And then it dawned on me as to why she was so worried about how I was doing. She knows, she's a mom. And on the plane on the ride home there was a new mom standing with her infant son nearly the whole four-and-a-half-hour flight because if she attempted to sit down, he wailed. She looked exhausted and frustrated. She checked her watch frequently, but she also kept on task all while kissing on his little bald head. I know, I'm a mom. See, it's a thread that unites us all. Helicopter moms. Free-range moms. Breastfeeding moms. Formula-feeding moms. Rich moms. Poor moms. Moms of sick kids. Moms of healthy kids. Moms. The crazy, heart-stopping love that we feel for our children runs deep through each and every one of us as moms. And this knowledge is painful at times. It's why every sappy commercial brings us to tears. It's why we can't watch the news. It's why we get in the car and cry after we drop our kids off to their first day of school. It's why food allergies are terrifying. It's why our hearts ache when we hear about miscarriage or fertility problems. It's why we are up at night worrying about our teens. It's why the thought of our children eventually leaving the nest makes us weep into our coffee. It's why the death of another mother's child is so utterly heartbreaking . . . It's also why we should always provide a blanket of support to all fellow moms. Not only to those who are suffering through the unimaginable pain of losing a child, but also to those mamas going through plain ol' rough times . . . and even those moms who are just having one of those days. Hug her, and if you are struggling to find the right words, all you may really need to say is, "I know, I'm a mom." But you probably already know this. After all, you're a mom.

**Post Self Reminder**

Sebelum kita keluar ke pejabat kita membebel pada anak kerana lambat bersiap Sampai di sekolah anak maklumkan ada surat yang dia lupa berikan semalam. Lagi sekali anak dileteri. Anak salam dan masuk ke kelas dengan keadaan emosi yang terguris. Dah dua kali kena marah. Kalau tak bagitahu pasal surat tu pun takpe fikirnya. Buat kena marah je. Seharian dia di sekolah bersama kawan-kawan dan guru. Bila habis sekolah, dia tinggal di taska atau rumah pengasuh. Sementara menunggu ibu dan ayah balik.. Bila matahari semakin hilang cahayanya, baru ibu dan ayah datang mrnjemput. Dah 8/9 jam tak jumpa ibu ayahnya. Banyak yang dia nak kongsikan. Waktu ibu dan ayahnya sedang bercakap, waktu itu juga mereka excited nak cerita dan bertanya itu dan ini. Nak bagitahu cikgu puji dia pandai, nak bagitahu kawan puji kotak pensil yang ibu baru belikan Tapi mereka dimarahi kerana dikatakan menyibuk waktu orang tua nak bercakap. Mereka menunduk dan masuk ke bilik. Bergurau pulak dengan adik-adik. Kecoh bunyinya. Tetiba wajah si ayah tersembul di muka pintu. Kena marah lagi sebab bising waktu ayah nak tengok berita. Ayah suruh baca buku. Tengah-tengah belek buku, teringat lukisan cantik tadi. Berlari nak tunjuk kat ibu didapur. Tetiba terlanggar pulak bucu meja. Jatuh dan pecah berderai gelas atas meja. Sekali lagi anak ini dimarahi dan dileteri. Dan anak ini akhirnya tidur dalam keadaan dia tertanya-tanya adakah ibu dan ayahnya menyayanginya atau tidak. Tiap hari, pasti ada saja salah dan silap mereka. Pasti ada yang tidak kena. Itu senario yang selalu kita hadapi. Malahan saya sendiri mengalaminya. Sungguh tinggi ego kita. Sungguh kita sangat mementingkan diri. Anak ini belum matang. Belum tahu berfikir seperti orang dewasa. Bila ibu dan ayah pulang mereka benar-benar ingin merasai kehadiran kita. Ingin dipeluk dan berkongsi cerita. Tapi apa yang mereka dapat??? Bila mereka besar dan lebih selesa berkongsi cerita dengan teman-teman, jangan kita persoalkan kenapa. Kerana waktu mereka ingin benar-benar berkongsi dengan kita, kita menafikan hak mereka. Keegoan itu langsung tak menjadikan kita ibu bapa yang hebat. Emosi dan amarah hanya mengundang salah tafsir si anak Jika kita berasa penat dengan urusan kerja seharian, bagaimana pula dengan anak-anak? Jam 7.30 dah terpacak di sekolah. Pagi sekolah agama dan petangnya pula sekolah kebangsaan. Tidak penatkah mereka? Kita keluar bekerja tanpa membawa beban berkilo. Tapi mereka bagaimana? Berat beg sekolah saja sudah 5 kg. Ingatlah, anak itu satu anugerah. Bukan tempat melempias lelah. * peringatan untuk saya dan anda