She get it from her Mama!!

I am a self-proclaimed “Daddy’s girl”; being into sports threw me into his world and into his lap. I knew if I wanted something, call daddy. Need something fixed on my car, call daddy. If I just wanted to sit in silence and be away from feminine thoughts and activities… Call daddy. For years, I swore that everything in me was just like him. However, that just isn’t so.

I think having a twin sister who is SO much like my mother sort of pushed me to aim for different. I wanted my own identity. I wanted to walk to the beat of my own drum, have my own friends, and my own life. So, the logical thing to do was to swear off any characteristics that might resemble my mom and sibling. Right? Well the last several years, I have concluded that parts of me, not all of me, are indeed a clone of the lady I adore so much.

I said “not all of me,” so let me clarify. I will start with my dad. He would do anything for his girls. Any hair-brained idea or project we would come up with, he’d oblige because he loved us that much. He still does. Hence why my mother has eight life-size Christmas trees in their home every year. He works hard and supports us in any way he can. But there’s a part of him that would just as easily retire, live on a beach, (maybe) run a hot dog stand, and sip a margarita while singing the lyrics to Cheeseburger in Paradise as he pretends to be Jimmy Buffet reincarnated. Daddy: say it isn’t so???

That part of him, is me. I need a break sometimes. I go, go, go until I have to throw my hands up and say, “I’m on mental vacay and I’ll see ya next week!” I love the simple pleasures of basking in sunshine or enjoying a good basketball game just for the heck of it. I’m okay taking a little more time on a project so that I’m not totally run in the ground. As a mom, that piece of me is a good thing. I may not have the cutest snacks or remember a gift for Griffin’s gym teachers every time. But by golly, I’m going to recharge and be the one dancing and laughing in the kitchen with him (even with a million things left on my to-do list.)

While I thoroughly enjoy having this part of me… It has caused me to struggle as a mom as well. But it’s more because I’ve spent ALOT of time comparing myself to my mom. Let me explain who she is… She’s the mother who stayed up until 2:30 am helping us glue and paint wooden dowels for a log cabin project in middle school. Given, she might have been staring us down as she contemplated how she could stab us with those same dowels and get away with it. We waited to tell her about the project until 2 days before it was due. But she made sure those cabins looked amazing, stylish, and very much A+ worthy!

If I asked the woman to kill an octopus with one arm and paint a chair rail with the other… She would come back with an entire room done and that octopus hog tied with the prettiest bow you’ve ever seen. She can throw a party together with 48 hours notice and you’d think an event planning company had been working for months. The woman is like Pinterest on steroids. Everything she touches turns to gold, and she somehow made it to every softball game, cheerleading competition, wrestling match (yeah, yeah), dance recital, and school function. She’s been the church preschool director, a member of community outreach, active member of the Booster club, and did it all while working full time with TWIN girls! She’s like Wonder Woman minus the crown and the skimpy outfit.

So imagine, when I had Griffin, what bar I had my standards set for myself to jump over in the parenting world. I shed a lot of tears and piled a lot of doubt on my plate because I couldn’t “do it like her.” I’ll never know how she balances all that she does. I’ll never be and do all the things she’s been/done for so many.

I look at her and think… I admire her for who she is and all that she’s taught me. She’s my own personal hero and could’ve won “Mom of the Year” a hundred times over. But you know what… She must’ve been FREAKING EXHAUSTED! Here’s where that part of me from my dad kicks in and says… Lady, take a nap!

Here’s my point: It’s okay that I’m not her. And it’s okay that I embrace the awesome parts of my dad as a parent. They allow me to be care-free with Griffin, without stressing over what’s next. Afterall, those are some of our greatest moments.

And it’s okay, because I have some of her greatest attributes that make me who I am as well. I got her love of antiques. And her drive to do anything possible for her children. I got her desire to help others and serve the community. I’ve got her smile and her laugh. I have that self-analytical piece that tells myself, “By God, you can do better.” It’s that drive to be everything for everyone. I have her love for simple pleasures: front porches and a good cup of coffee. I secretly have a love for educating others and trying to always do the right thing. I find myself in the quiet hours of the early morning. No, I’m not sewing a costume, helping build a science project, or painting another handprint holiday shirt. The streak of rust orange from my attempt with Griffin is proof on my kitchen floor of why we have none. But like her, I sit and pray for my child and my family. Those moments are spent asking God what else can I do to serve them and simply be more like Him. Because I got that piece of her, too…. That yearning for a life after Christ. A deep desire to be to others what He is to me. And that’s the best part of her.

So this weekend, we’ll tackle all of the house projects on my to-do list. No doubt because she’s coming to help. Pictures to come… But we’ll also do a little laughing, a little coffee drinking, and probably throw some dang good praying in the mix! Here’s to you, Wonder Woman!