Man Mom Friends, You are on Blast!

Hey all of you moms of grown men, yep, I am talking to you! Why didn't you tell me? Why doesn't everybody talk about this? Or were you all talking and I was so focused on my tiny, cute little munchkin that I did not hear you?

I mean, I knew and I know that little boys grow to be men. I know this. I have seen this happen to my nephews and to friends' little boys.

I also know that young men enter puberty and their hormones surge and they grow taller and all the other physical things.

What I didn't know.....Boys get moody just like girls. I thought that I had escaped this moodiness for no reason by having a boy instead of a girl. I thought that Y chromosome meant that my sweet natured boy would just be sweet natured unless there was actually something wrong. 

Jack is 13 years old. His physical body is rapidly developing and he is obviously experiencing the hormonal changes that go along with it. His socio-emotional development has not caught up with his 13 year body. Imagine the frustration of not really knowing what's going on and not even being able to express, "I am out of sorts and I don't know why. I just am." Add on top of that, he has *me* as his Mama. This weekend, I did a head to toe physical assessment to rule out any medical issues and seriously considered whether I should take him to the doctor to rule out increased pressure in his head.

Only after quizzing Dave did I realize that our boy is just moody/angry for no reason whatsoever and there is not a thing in the world I can do to make it right. I just have to be here supporting, guiding, and nurturing and helping him express himself the best he can. Can I just say it? UGH....

Unexpected Surgery Ends Well

We had an inkling that surgery would be needed soon but it all happened so suddenly. It was bathtime and I helped him up out of the chair. Suddenly, his arm just gave way and there was a hole where his rotator cuff should have been!  

I had to get Safety Dave to finish bathtime while I rushed Elmo off to surgery. The rotator cuff surgery was easier than i imagined it would be. The near complete tear actually made it easier to line up the tissues so that Elmo would continue to have full ramge of motion post surgery.

Since my little patient did so well and was long overdue for back surgery, I took a deep breath and moved forward with the more complex task of repairing his multiple stuffing herniations. This portion of surgery was much more complex since Elmo's tissues along his spine are much more fragile. I did not want the repair to leave him temporarily better only to more severely tear at the suture sites later. It took quite some time and a lot of patience but I completed the repair along the right side of his spine. 

Elmo needs more surgery on the multiple stuffing herniations on the left as well but, by this time, Jack had grown far too impatient to consent to any further surgical repairs on his best friend. I finished tying off the sutures on the right side and Elmo spent his recovery time, much like Jack--lying on me. 

After a very short time on the recovery leg, Elmo returned to laughing and playing with his big buddy.

Stretched Too Thin--Loving it!

Over the course of the last few months, I have become a podcast addict. I listen to podcasts as I travel for work, when I run, and when I clean house. One of my favorite podcasts that just makes me both think and smile is For The Love with Jen Hatmaker . She recently hosted a series on parenting and interviewed Jessica Turner, author of Stretched Too Thin (purchase on Amazon) . In that podcast, so much of what Jessica said resonated with me and I know that it will resonate with many other moms. We all want to be the best mothers, wives, and whatever other titles we hold, right?

Jessica's new book does not come out for another 18 days but I pre-ordered it so that I could take advantage of the extra freebies that come along with pre-ordering, including the Stretched Too Thin Online Course. It is a 10 day course and Jessica recommends spending about 15 minutes a day for those 10 days listening to the content for the day and doing the assigned workbook. It has already made a difference in my home and, is in fact, the reason that I have resumed blogging.

I have recently felt like I have been challenged about whether I was mom enough and this course along with the support of my amazing husband helped me to realize that #1 yes, I am and #2 putting on my oxygen mask does not make me any less of a mom and can make me a better mom.