The Good Mother

I've always thought that I was one of those people that was born to be a mother. When I was a little girl, I would treat my dolls just like real babies. I would change them, feed them, and take them to the park. When I became a mother for the first time, people always complimented me on what a great mom I was. For me, it was just something that came natural. I never thought my parenting abilities or my sanity would ever be questioned, until one day, they were. My name is Jennifer Moore, and this is my story. "Mommy, it’s time to wake up!" My younger son, Derek came bouncing into our room bright and early on a Saturday morning. He'd always been an early bird and he thought the rest of the world should be, too. His dark blond hair was sticking up in a million different directions, and his blue eyes had their normal little boy sparkle. He was wearing his cars pajamas, the only ones he willingly wore. As a mom, I picked my battles carefully. "Good morning Derek." I murmured. "Why don't you go see if your brother can put some cartoons on for you and pour you a bowl of cereal? I'll be out in a few minutes." Derek looked at me like I was crazy. "I already tried that. I can't wake Danny up. Nobody could wake Danny up." I turned to my husband, John, who was still sound asleep. He could sleep through just about anything just like my older son. It was supposed to be his day to get up with Derek, but since I was already awake anyway, I knew it was time to start my day as a mom. "Okay, I'm up." I sighed as I sat up in bed. A huge grin spread across Derek's little face, and I had to smile back. He smiles were contagious, and so was his laughter. As much as I would have loved a little more sleep, I wouldn't miss this for the world. After we had breakfast and watched two episodes of Mickey Mouse clubhouse, I started to tidy up around the house. I cleaned the kitchen, dusted, vacuumed, and started a load of laundry. And the rest of the family was still in dreamland. Finally, John staggered out to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the cheek. Even after almost five years of marriage, he still made me feel all warm inside when he kissed me. "Good morning, Jen." "Good morning." I said, trying to mask my irritation. "Did you sleep well?" He nodded. "Yes, but you should have woke me up. I know it was my day to be on munchkin patrol." Just then, Derek's eyes lit up, and he ran into Johns open arms. "Daddy, you’re awake!" The two joined in a bear hug, and I smiled. It was such a beautiful picture of a father and son, how could I be mad at that? "Hey, little man. How are you this morning?" John asked as he ruffled Derek's hair. "Good. I'm just watching Mickey mouse." John sat Derek down, and he bounced back over to the couch to watch the show. Then he took a sip of his coffee and looked up at me with a smile. "He's such a great kid. I'm proud to be his daddy." I nodded. "Yes, he is." As much as we both loved Derek, it was hard to believe he really wasn't our child, biologically. We'd adopted him shortly after we were married. I had my older son, Danny when I was married to my ex husband, David. John loved them both just like they were his own. He was truly the best husband and father I could have hoped for, and I felt so lucky to have him in my life. "You know, our anniversary is coming up." John said. "We need to plan something big. Five years is a big milestone." I nodded. "I can't believe it's been almost five years. Time really flies." Then I looked down at Derek, who was happily singing the Mickey Mouse theme song. "Someone has a birthday coming up soon, too." John nodded. "I was thinking we could do a party here this year. We could get a jump house and invite all the kids from his preschool class." "That's a good idea." I said. "I have to work in his classroom Monday morning. We could get the invitations this weekend and I can pass them out then." Just then, Danny emerged from his room, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Invitations for what?" "Your brother's birthday." I answered. "He's going to be five soon, you know." Danny rolled his eyes. "I know. He's been reminding me all week. I'll be glad when his birthday is over so things can get back to normal." "You always made a big deal out of your birthday when you were his age, too." I reminded him. Danny shrugged. "I guess so. But right now, I'm just thinking about my stomach. I'm starved." He poured himself a bowl of cereal, and started munching away. That was a typical Saturday morning in the Moore household. Not too exciting, but I didn't care. I had the family I had always wanted, and for me, that was a dream come true. If I'd known about the hard times that were coming my way, I probably would have prepared myself. But then again, I guess there's no preparing yourself for something like that. In the blink of an eye, everything can change. And suddenly, your whole world can be turned upside down.