So I Danced: A Mother's Day Treat

I've learned over the last eighteen years not to expect too much from Mother's Day. My husband's best intentions usually get bumped aside due to his business travel schedule, thus forcing the card and gift shopping to the day before the big day. You can well imagine the scene- countless dads and kids out at the mall or Hallmark store, frantically searching for a thoughtful gift and card in the shortest time-span. 

This year ended up like all the others, my husband grabbed our two teen sons and left the house at about noon on Saturday. Not surprisingly all three came home in a sour mood. Apparently the fireworks started early- before they pulled out of the driveway- and my eighteen year old found himself grounded for a week. My husband's mood didn't improve from there. The pool filter acted up and our latest attempt to remove the cat urine smell from the carpet was declared a failure.

Forget Mother's Day, this was a typical mother's day in my house!

The bright spot on our itinerary was a wedding that afternoon for a wonderful young woman who used to babysit my boys. Something about putting on our Sunday Best on a Saturday afternoon shifted the mood in the house. 

The wedding ceremony was a lovely, the bride lovelier than Kate Middleton. I cried through the whole thing. The reception featured the usual fare- a cheese platter I spent too much time near, a chicken dinner option and DJ who played the top hits.

At one point the Black Eyed Peas came on and my fifteen year old surprised me. "Come on Mom," he said. "Let's go!"

I hadn't hoped to dance with my son at the reception. He's at the height of his "Everything My Parents Do Is Embarrassing" stage. I jumped from my seat and joined him on the dance floor. His older brother soon joined us. Could I ask for more? Nope.

I received my cards and gifts the next morning in the quiet of the kitchen. The sour moods were replaced by early morning moods (it was before 10 a.m.). The boys were pleased with what they picked for me (each bought a book) but my favorite moment of the weekend was on that dance floor.

I hope every mom gets a chance to dance with her son someday.