Maternal Moments

I  don’t know about you, but I’m a mother.

Now, generally and under normal circumstances, I consider myself to be an intelligent, sensible and sound person. However, like I said above, I am a mother.  And it seems that being a mother can sometimes override any intelligent thought that you might otherwise be likely to entertain.

Situation 1: We’re in the kitchen. I’m showing my son (16 years old) how the bread cutting machine works. I explain the various buttons and how you can adjust the slice width and rotation speed. Satisfied with my demonstration, I turn to leave him to his own devices. I haven’t quite gotten out  the kitchen door, when I suddenly go maternal, “And don’t cut your fingers off.”

Good thing I said that - perhaps he didn’t realise that it would be bothersome if he did.

Situation 2: We are at a friend’s house, enjoying a comfortable summer evening outside. Because it sometimes gets cool in the evenings here, we have a camp fire to sit around. The fire begins to get low, and my son asks where he can find wood. We show him the pile and without warning, a serious Maternal-Moment rolls over me, “Careful not to let your clothing catch fire.”

Ahhh, right - fire can burn.

Situation 3: We are standing on the balcony, looking out at the back garden. The Cat is generally not allowed on the balcony, because she dances on the railing and generally plays with her own mortality out there; but at any rate, my son is holding her, letting her look out with us. Major Maternal-Moment: “Don’t let her fall.”

(”Oh please, mom, just  this once….”)

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