REFLECTIONS: HELP AM I BECOMING MY MOTHER!

It only happened for a split second; not long enough for anyone else to notice but for one sudden stomach lurching moment, I thought I heard my Mother’s voice squeeze through my very own quivering lips. 

“Just wait until your Father gets home!” I shrilled “if I have to tell the pair of you again I’m going to scream!”  The ultimate pathetic punch-line with ever failing conviction in my voice; futile words falling on selectively deaf ears.  Now I know where I had heard that same catchphrase before and it had the same reaction then as it had done now!

Why do Mothers feel the need to demean their own importance by having to use the very presence of a Father figure to carry any clout; and then falling into the ‘i’ve got no self-control’ mode and relent to spouting sheer angst!

It’s never going to work on a pair of spatting siblings; they had put mute mode on as soon as their shackles were up.  Yet 'my' Mum did it, no doubt 'her' Mum did it and now, shock horror, 'I' was doing the very same, and it had the same ‘profound’ effect on them as it had done on me, all those years ago!

After this somewhat, thought provoking incident, which of course I didn’t pursue once their Father returned, I began to reminisce and peruse my mental library of the different occasions as I was growing up my Mother would come out with those 'little one liners' to chastise, but more often than not, ‘amuse’ me! 

“How many times do I have to tell you” was one of her regular offerings!  It didn’t carry any weight and it was said more in the tone of a sigh; an exasperated plea for harmony amongst the ranks!  Ineffective and pointless, and a great excuse to retort a quip if me or my sister were feeling particularly brave or stupid! 

Another popular phrase was “I’m going to give you until the count of three.”  A firm favourite that has continued to hold its own even at the top of the present day charts.  We’ve all given the verbal firing gun to our children and it usually does the trick, “one, two, thre.........”, and they’re off!  Like Shergar in his ‘hay’ day! 

The list is endless; “did you flush?”; “don’t throw things in the house”; “don’t talk with your mouth full!”; “you’re going to put your eye out with that thing”; “someday your face will freeze like that!” and of course, a heartfelt “You can be anything you want to be if you just set your mind to it”.  Unfortunately, I did not seem to apply myself in the latter as conscientiously as I could have done; perhaps I was still in the race with Shergar!

However, as much as I appear to be almost ridiculing my very own Mother, it is with great humour; adoration and respect I acknowledge my acceptance of defeat; bow down to the inevitable metamorphosis which is my fate; and finish with her very own favourite phrase that she would bestow on me every day, “I LOVE YOU!”........ Thank you Mum x