To Infinity and Beyond: A Mothers Love

Like the ‘Toy Story’ quote (a movie that, if there is or was young kids in your house, you will know word for word), there is no end to the love a parent has for their child. You love to have your kids near you, and when they are not, they are always on your mind.

As a child, you would look at the some of the actions your parents did and think ‘I will never be that soppy.’ You looked out from the stage where you are playing Tree #3 in the latest class production, seeing two proud but teary faces looking back, waving away. You could barely get the handle on the fridge as there were so many drawings, good report cards or certificates on the door. No way, not for me. I’m going to be a cool as a cucumber when I do all these things with my child.

Then you have your first baby. And you completely forget what you thought beforehand. In fact, you go a little overboard. They are the most precious thing in your life! There is no action too crazy when you are a parent. You love them more than life itself.  

How do you express that love? Well, it depends. It could be remembering that PB&J sandwiches should be cut into squares while ham sandwiches are circles – they each taste better that way, of course. Or secretly trying to buy all teddies in duplicate, so that if it happens to become ‘The One’ in your child’s eyes, you don’t live in a perpetual state of fear of it getting lost.

When they move out, for work or college, having that bit of distance makes it harder to remind them that you are thinking of them every day. A college care pack is perfect, even if it just puts your mind at rest that they are going to have the items to do a load of washing. You could even pop in a gift card for their closest big grocery store, to reassure yourself that they will have at least one meal that doesn’t involve ramen noodles.

For the jewelry lover, an infinity necklace with a name added is a way to have your children’s names right beside your heart. And it may even draw out a smile when you listen to that Buzz Lightyear line, for the 3rd time that day. You could get duplicates, and have it as a surprise in the care package you put in the car just before they drive off to start that next stage in life.

Let’s be honest; there are many ways a parent shows love, everything we do on a daily basis relates back to how much we care for our children. Whether it’s taking an hour alone to grab a coffee, read a book and recharge or sitting up all night after they have seen something on TV that scared them. We love our kids more than we thought was possible. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.