Oh yeah wow I’m a mum

Do you ever have those stand out moments when you realise that you’re really really someone’s mum now? And how important it is to be that for someone?? This afternoon my girl (2y 7m) got up early from her nap, and my partner tried to coax her back into her bed. She flipped out, tried to escape, and hit her mouth on the bed frame. It cut her lip, which must’ve hurt, and also got blood on the bed sheets, which I think really frightened her. We popped her up on the kitchen bench and she’s crying and crying and when I got in front of her, she was staring into my eyes, begging for me to confirm she was dying or reassure her that she would live. Searching for some promise of safety and permission to calm down. I said, calmly and with all the confident authority I could manage, “it’s okay, you’re okay, it’s okay” while holding her eye contact. And she stopped crying. Mum said I’m okay, so I must be okay. We got her an ice pack and she was giggling again in minutes. All the dinners cooked, the daycare pick ups, the schedules managed and appointments booked - they slip by as just another stop on the road to the end of the day. But today it really hit me - I’m this little girl’s mum. She trusts me more than anyone. I’m the centre of the universe and what I do matters. It was awesome to feel that way. And I really needed the reminder.