Happy Mother's Day: Celebrating an ageless love

There is a saying about motherhood; The days are long and the years are short. In our current situation, quarantining in a house with twin four year olds, a dog that sheds and barks like it’s her job and a spouse who also works full time – the days are especially long. Almost five years ago, after years of trying and a very good doctor, I gave birth to twin girls, Adelaide and Isabella. My husband and I do not have a lot of family that lives in the state, so from the time we came home with our bundles of joy we were on our own island of overtired parents, a very confused dog, and two babies. 

Time passed and we finally found our sea legs and I decided it was time to reenter the workforce. I started working at H.O.M.E. when my daughters were about one year old, and being a new mom of multiplies returning to work life after being off for almost two years I could not have made a better choice. I found a second family-- my kids had 15 grandparents immediately.

I found a community where I could bring my kids to work and not worry about not being seen as a professional. I found a group of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and community members that had a lot of advice (some of it outdated ;) ) that I could lean on. 

My daughters are accustomed to coming to work and playing chase with seniors in their rascal scooters. They visit with pet turtles and play with trinkets. They are given a lot of cough drops, but they are also loved as a community member that doesn’t see age as a boundary. 

Living in these times where we are all distancing ourselves from our family members and community (I miss drinking with my neighbors, a lot) I am seeing my small children processing everything about their lives changing. Vacations were cancelled, their first year of school is over, we can’t go to the playground or even to Target, and we cannot visit my “friends at work”. 

On the days when I am able to go into work, wearing my glove and masks, I always get stopped by residents who are eager to hear about Adelaide and Isabella. What are they doing, how is school going, but most of all “Do they miss us?”

The friendships that my four year olds have made with folks 55+ are a reminder that the communities that H.O.M.E. champions are natural. People want to be connected and loved, no matter what life stage we are in.

Even though right now my girls are keeping their distance from their friends of every age, we know that the connections are still there and it will make the reunion that much sweeter.