"In the eyes of its mother every beetle is a gazelle." Moroccan Proverb

What do you want to be when you grow up? This often asked question is one that mothers ponder. What does my darling kiddo want to be when he or she grows up? And mostly mom is hoping that whatever it is, her child will be happy, and make her proud. Herein lies the problem, at least for me. What makes my child happy and what makes me proud are not always the same thing. As you kids have grown, and gone half-heartedly from one sport and instrument to another, my dream of having a child that made me proud because the world thought he or she was great began to fade. It was not that you couldn't achieve "greatness" in sport or music, but that this was not your dream, it was mine. What you want from life is very much the same as your dad and I have wanted: to live peacefully, making enough money to pay the bills, pursuing little side interests that amuse us. And there is nothing wrong with that! But I as a mother held a secret hope that one of you would break out of the mold and dash to the front of the line and be the next great something--anything really! Why? For bragging rights. Moms want to brag about their kids because it makes them feel that they have achieved something by raising this awesome kid. I am learning to take my ego out of the equation.
Another thought I have about this whole question is the whole concept of one's vocation equalling "who they want to BE." Is what you do for a living the same as who you are? Is dad simply a plumber, or is that what he does for a living, and the rest of the time he is Leroy?! I think my mom and dad were interested in seeing us get an education so that life would not be so difficult financially, but mostly they were interested in what kind of character we had. Mama was more interested in seeing her daughters grow up to be good, honest, loving people than superstars. Papa was concerned that we lived a life devoted to God. What do you want to be/do when you grow up?

What the daughter does, the mother did. - Jewish Proverb

Mothering being a learned ability, most of us learn it from our moms. The same is true for me. My mom, Mama as you know her, was always careful to make sure that we weren't left with hard feelings. She disciplined us verbally and physically, but after allowing us a moment to sulk, she cuddled us up and made us understand that she still and always loved us. I find myself following that rule, that a child should not be left with "a bad mind" as she put it. I tried to remember that the purpose of discipline was to correct a behaviour that was detrimental to you or the family.
Mama also: read us bedtime stories, prayed with us, tucked us in, gave lots of gentle loving pats, baked with us, sang with us, skied/skated/swam with us. I learned all these things from Mama.
One thing that Mama did that was annoying to me was her obsession with quiet. I know that we often lived in places where the walls were thin, such as duplexes or apartments, but never allowing us to make noise because we might disturb someone else left me feeling that we were of less importance than others. They could make noise and take up space, but we couldn't. In this area, I have tried to break with tradition, and allow my kids to make noise. You have as much right as the next family to be on the planet! I do not condone being rude, but you are allowed to enjoy your life, and if being loud is how you need to do it, then my dears, go for it!