My “awesome” Mother’s Day present this year

“Being a parent must be awesome,” says my 13-year-old son, eyeing me from the upper bunk as I wake him up in time for our traditional Mother’s Day breakfast at a local restaurant. Really? My role as a mother currently means I am reeling from constant arguments with my older son, and my 18-year-old daughter’s impending move abroad fills me with trepidation.
“How so?” I ask.

“Because there’s Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, Chanukah, and your birthday. You get three presents a year!”

“Right,” I say.

Granted, he did give me a present, a red-glazed vase he made in ceramics class, but that is the only Mother’s Day present I seem to be getting this year. But hey, the older kids at least came along to Mother’s Day breakfast and that, I know, is present enough.

From his point-of-view, however, I do indeed get three presents a year, and that is pretty awesome.

Happy Mother’s Day!