The Most Thoughtful Thing My Mother-In-Law Has Ever Said

Let me begin by saying that I am one of the lucky few that has a killer mother-in-law. She’s sweet, caring and accepted me into her family from day one. But she said something to me years ago that has really stuck, and it is something every mother should consider:

“I recognized that when my children started families of their own, I was no longer their first priority. Their family was.”

This statement hit home before I had kids. But after, it rings as one of the most thoughtful and hardest things a mother can realize. I look at my own children and ponder the day that I, too, will have to come to grips that I am not the center of their world. I see my own son, his fingers coiled tightly in my hair, and I try to imagine a time when I am not the woman he loves most.

Will I be able to release him and give him the freedom to take care of his family’s needs and place them before my own? Am I capable of letting another woman take my place?

Nope. Definitely not. At this point I still have the innocent (and slightly creepy) dream that his eyes will always light up when he sees me, and his sweet voice will always shout, “Mam!” with such delight. But I have years to get used to the idea. And I have years to teach him how to be an incredible man like my husband and a fantastic father to his own children. I hope that one day I will be able to give my own daughter-(or son–who the hell knows is at this point) in-law the gift that my mother-in-law gave me; the gift of letting go.

As for now, when he wakes at 3am, I will relish in his sweetness; the way that his pudgy little hand gently caresses my face, his deep brown eyes and the drool that falls softly on my forehead as he leans over me, urging me to play.